Hybrid fruit: real and imaginary

There are some amazing hybrid fruits around, things such as plumcots (which are a cross of a plum and an apricot) or boysenberries (which are the cross of raspberry and blackberry) or jostaberry (which are a cross between a black current and a gooseberry) are rather well known.  Others are virtually unknown.

Most of the more well known hybrids are crosses of different species, others are crosses of different genus.

Sometimes people get confused by what does and does not cross, so sometimes there is confusion.  Other times people deliberately sell fake seeds and plants with made up histories.  I thought I would write a post showing some of the real hybrids as well as some fake hybrids.


Pear x Apple hybrids - Real hybrids and Imaginary hybrids

There seems to be a little confusion over intergeneric apple (Malus) x pear (Pyrus) hybrids.  There are a lot of common names that confuse people.  Apple x pear hybrids can and do exist, but they have not become marketable yet.  Perhaps one day they will.

Let me show you ome that are not hybrids and why they confuse people, then I will show the real apple x pear hybrids.

'Papple'
The Papple is a hybrid of an European pear Pyrus communis and an Asian pear Pyrus pyrifolia and was originally named “T109” by breeders.  It is a hybrid of two species of pear.  The papple is NOT a cross between a pear and an apple, it has no apple in its genetic makeup whatsoever.  The papple is a pear that has the vague appearance of an apple, so it was named 'papple'.

Papple is a cross between European pear and Asian pear, it is NOT a hybrid pear and apple

'Apple pear'
I don't know why but people sometimes use the term 'apple pear' for what we in Australia call 'nashi fruit'.  They vaguely look like an apple I guess, and the flesh is crunchy when ripe, so when marketing this they did not want people to think of it as a pear as it eats more like an apple, so the deceptive common name of apple pear was born.  I am happy to say that in Australia very few people use that term, they use the term nashi fruit instead.

Nashi fruit are an Asian pear Pyrus pyrifolia.  I grow one, mine is incredibly productive, the fruit is crunchy and delicious and when dried makes amazing sweet dried fruit chips.  There are many different varieties of nashi pear, the one I grow is an excellent variety called Nijisseiki.

Nashi fruit are an Asian pear NOT an apple pear hybrid

True Ingergeneric Apple Pear Hybrids
I have been told for my entire life that hybrids of apple and pear are not possible, yet strangely they are possible and several currently exist!

Most apple pear hybrids do not produce viable seeds so breeding something marketable from them has proven difficult, but some do produce viable seeds so who knows what will be bred from them in the future.  If I had more space and time I would create these hybrids as there is the potential for some remarkable fruit from this cross.

Creating these hybrids is difficult, the pollen is reluctant to cross between genera, the seeds are reluctant to germinate, then the seedlings have an annoying habit of getting your hopes up but only surviving a few months due to hybrid necrosis.

Many apple pear hybrids have genetic abnormalities, Zwintzscer's hybrid pictured below can only survive when grafted onto a compatible rootstock, even then it has issues and the bark seems to split.

Zwintzscher's Hybrid IS a hybrid between apple and pear

Another intergeneric Malus x Pyrus hybrid

Many intergeneric apple pear hybrids display postzygotic hybrid necrosis and die off when young

Cherry x Plum Hybrids - Real and Imaginary hybrids

Cherry plums (Prunus cerasifera) are a variety of plum that is often found as a roadside weed.  The fruit is small, about the size of a cherry.  Some taste great, others not so much.

I had never heard them called 'cherry plums' until a few months ago, but this is their common name in many places.  They do not have any cherry in their heritage, they are not hybrids, so the common name 'cherry plum' seems to be needlessly confusing.

So called 'cherry plums' Pyrus cerasifera

True Interspecific cherry x plum hybrids

Both sweet cherries and plums belong to the Genus 'Prunus'.  Many different Prunus species can and do cross easily, others are more reluctant to cross.  Sweet cherry and Asian plums (and a few other plums) can be crossed.  They don't set seed 100% of the time, not all seeds will germinate, some of the seedlings may not survive, but it is a numbers game and some can grow into large productive fruit trees.

There have been several hybrids made between sweet cherries and Asian plums over the years.  Most appear to take on more qualities of the plum than the cherry.  Several varieties are for sale overseas that will likely never be available in Australia due to quarantine issues and the risk of introducing diseases and pests.

One cherry x plum hybrid named 'Nadia' looks like a giant cherry.  It was bred in Australia, and has commercial trial plots in Australia, yet does not appear to be for sale anywhere in Australia.  These plants have been sold to backyard growers overseas for several years.  I emailed the company that owns it and asked if it was for sale but have had no reply.  I have been told by people overseas who grow it that it tastes more like plum than cherry and it is not overly amazing.

Cherry x plum hybrid 'Nadia'

'Nadia' cherry x plum hybrid next to both parents

Two or Three other interspecific cherry plum hybrids are available from nurseries in Australia, yet little to no information about them is on the internet with few to no pictures of the fruit.  I don't want to buy a tree only to find out I dislike the taste of the fruit. 

I have emailed a few nurseries and asked if they would give me a tree and in return I would measure, weigh, record and photograph them.  Considering how many organic gardeners, permaculture gardeners, and self sufficient types read my blog this would be an excellent advertising opportunity for them and well worth the investment of a single tree. 

So far none have taken me up on the offer.  This does make me think that perhaps none of the current cherry x plum hybrids are actually any good.  Hopefully this changes in the future and someone creates something remarkable.



Strawberry x Raspberry Hybrids - Real and Imaginary hybrids

This is a topic of some debate.  For years there have been dodgy people trying to make money through selling fake hybrids.

Funberry Rubus illecebrosus
There are a few dodgy nurseries and seed sellers who are selling R illecebrosus under the name of 'funberry'.  In an attempt to increase sales they claim that this is a cross between strawberry and raspberry. 

Funberry are not a hybrid, but are just another species of Rubus.  It is disappointing, but it says a lot about the companies who do this.

Rubus illecebrosus, the Funberry is not a hybrid berry

True strawberry x raspberry intergeneric hybrids
I wrote a previous post about crossing strawberry with a raspberry.  This cross has been achieved in past at least twice, those plants were thornless and produced a lot of flowers.  They had trouble producing fruit, there are a few things that may have caused this but we can't be certain as they have been lost to history. 

Choosing the right parent stock would overcome some of these issues so I was put a lot of thought into it before I made my crosses.  I have lost many of my hybrid seedlings.  Hopefully at least one of my seedlings survived winter and if all goes well it will flower for me later in the season.  I have more seed in the fridge at the moment cold stratifying.  Only time will tell on this one.