Alutscha
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Prunus vachuschtii (Alutscha) |
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Prunus vachuschtii , also called Alutscha ( Georgian ალუჩა English Alucha ), is a species of the genus Prunus . It is accepted as its own taxon, but some authors include it in Prunus cerasifera ( cherry plum ). The tree bears fruit that, when unripe, is used in local cuisine.
Occurrence
Wild forms of Prunus vachuschtii occur in the Transcaucasus ( Georgia , Armenia , Azerbaijan ) and in Asia Minor at altitudes of 500 to 700 m. It has been cultivated for a long time and there are different varieties of different fruit sizes and colors. The cultivation (Georgia, Armenia and Iran ) takes place in plantations and in house gardens.
description
Prunus vachuschtii forms a tree with a broom-like crown from 4 to 13 m high, the trunk and branches are thornless (in contrast to Prunus cerasifera ). The leaf buds are small. The leaf is oval, ovate or inversely ovate, 22 to 83 mm long, 11 to 52 mm wide. Its tip is suddenly narrowed, the base is round, rarely wedge-shaped, the edges are double-serrated. The top is bare, the main vein on the bottom is fluffy. The stem length is 4 to 19 mm.
The flowers are white and alternate on the twig. They are not sensitive to frost down to −2 ° C. The flowering takes place one to two weeks after P. cerasifera and overlaps only slightly with it.
The fruits are rounded with a pronounced wide longitudinal furrow and deep stem pit, the calyx pit is shallow. The ratio of length, width and thickness is 93: 89: 100, their diameter is up to 5 cm. The fruit stalk is 9 to 20 mm long. The fruit color is yellow-greenish, e.g. Sometimes with reddish sides. The fruit peel is smooth, thin and tender, e.g. Sometimes with small flakes of wax. The fruit weight is 11 to 31 g. The fruits have a low acidity (1.0 to 1.6%) and high sugar content (9 to 12%). Overripe fruits easily burst. The pulp is also greenish-yellow in color, very juicy, sweet with a slight acidity, it has a very soft consistency. The kernels are small and flat, their ends are rounded, the pulp is difficult to separate from the kernel.
A distinction is made between two forms:
- Prunus vachuschtii f. Meczibuche Breg .: the fruit is large, more convex on the sides, the unripe fruit is quite sour and
- Prunus vachuschtii f. imeretiana Breg .: the fruit is less large and less bulged on the sides, the unripe fruit is not very acidic.
use
In Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan the unripe fruits of Prunus vachuschtii are mainly processed into sour sauces (see Tqemali ), which are finer than those from Prunus cerasifera . Due to their low acidity, they are also suitable for fresh consumption when unripe; connoisseurs salt them easily. The thin-skinned, juicy and sweet fully ripe fruits are very unusual for a plum. However, this makes them hardly transportable.
Prunus vachuschtii is also used as a base for apricots in dry soils .
Culture
Prunus vachuschtii prefers light, neutral ( pH 6.5 to 7.5; but below 8.2) soils with a lime content of no more than 40% and of medium mechanical composition. The groundwater should be deeper than 1.2 m, but the tree can withstand short-term water retention. A nitrogen - and potassium -betonte organic fertilizer is conducive to a good harvest.
Recommended planting distances are 7 m × 5 m to 6 m × 3 m depending on the soil fertility. Two or three varieties are advisable for better pollination.
Alutscha develops dense crowns, a clearing is favorable for better care and for a higher fruit quality. In the first three years, seedlings receive a training pruning and then usually begin to bear fruit. The trees are fertile for 35 to 45 years.
- Alutscha details
Branches
Flower and shoot buds
P. vachuschtii (above) and P. cerasifera (below)
Flowering branch
Web links
- Compare plum and alucha
- List of plums
- Blog with fruit pictures
- Blog about Alutscha
- Video of tree and fruits
- Varieties & Culture Guide (Georgian)
Individual evidence
- ↑ powo.science.kew.org
- ↑ a b c Agrokavkas: Alutscha (Georgian)
- ↑ Prunus vachuschtii Bregadze. In: Trudy Instituta Botaniki, Akademija Nauk Gruzinskoj SSR: Serija Flora i Sistematika. 28, 1976, pp. 77-82