Red Cheeked

This variety was developed at the NIISS named after M. A. Lisavenko in the mountainous region of the Altai (Chemal village), by selecting seedlings from open pollination of Chinese plum varieties, planted in 1974. Authors: V.S. Dutov, T.M. Pletneva, Ya.G. Temberg. It was regionalized in 1979 and is rarely cultivated.

Trees are medium-sized with round or flat-round, moderately dense crowns. The main type of fruiting is in clusters. Branches are brown-gray, emerging from skeletal branches at an obtuse angle, with a low trunk. Shoots are slightly curved, bare, yellow-brown, with a few small lenticels. Vegetative buds are conical, while fruiting buds are round. Leaves are medium-sized, egg-shaped or inverted egg-shaped, light green, smooth, matte, hairless, with finely serrated margins. Leaf blade has a pointed base, flat, sharply tapering to the apex. Petiole is short, thick, with anthocyanin coloring. Buds contain 2-3 flowers. Flower corolla and petals are white.

Fruits are angular-round, 27 mm tall, 28 mm in diameter, averaging 12 g. The calyx is medium-sized, divided by a groove. The ventral suture is well-defined. Main color is yellow-orange, with a bright red covering that is diffuse over the entire fruit, with a slight waxy bloom. Skin is not rough and slightly bitter. Flesh is pale-yellow, loose, with fibers, sweet-sour, of good taste. Stone is medium-sized, oval, well-formed, rough, easily separates from flesh. Fruit stalk is short and easily detaches from branches.

Fruits ripen in the second decade of August. They contain 15-18% dry matter, 11-13% sugars, 46-18% titratable acids, 0.3-0.35% tannins, and 810 mg/100g of ascorbic acid. The variety is of universal use.

Begins fruiting on the 3rd-4th year after planting in a garden with one-year-old seedlings. Tends to produce fruit regularly and moderately. Most winter-hardy among Siberian selections. Possesses very high winter hardiness of the tree and increased hardiness of fruit buds. Susceptible to fruit rot. Prone to clasterosporiosis. Self-sterile. Susceptible to fruit moth.