Prunus domestica Reine Claude de Bavay - Common plum

The Reine Claude de Bavay Plum is a fairly vigorous variety, very productive, with rapid and regular fruiting. It produces large round fruits, yellow-green in colour. Their flesh is firm, juicy, sweet, and fragrant. Harvest takes place in mid-September. The Reine Claude de Bavay Plum is self-fertile. It is sensitive to cold unless in a sunny and wind-protected position. It is resistant to diseases.

The original area of plum trees is believed to be Syria, not China. During the time of Roman hegemony in the region, various local fruits, including plums, were introduced to Rome. The Reine-Claude de Bavay Plum was selected in 1843 in Malines. It was dedicated to Mr. de Bavay, director of the Royal Nurseries of Vilvorde in Brussels, Belgium.

This fruit tree naturally grows up to 7m (23ft) tall at maturity. Its free and upright silhouette is appreciated, and when pruned properly, it will be easy to harvest. It prefers sun or partial shade and grows in any type of rich, moist, deep, or even heavy soil, but without limestone.
Its leaves are ovate, almost oblong, dentate, and slightly pubescent.
Flowering occurs in mid-March. The tree is then covered entirely with white flowers that appear on the previous year's branches. They are self-fertile. This variety is a very good pollinator.

The plums are consumed raw at the foot of the tree, in fruit salads, but also in desserts, pastries, as an accompaniment to meats and dishes. They can be transformed into jams, of course, but also into preserved fruits, compotes... They can also be used to make eau-de-vie.