Blooming season intermediate in time and length; flowers appearing before the leaves, white; borne in clusters on lateral buds and spurs, in twos or in threes; pedicels of medium length and thickness, glabrous except for occasional hairs, greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes narrow, obtuse, sparingly glandular, with marginal hairs, glabrous on the outer side, thinly pubescent on the inner side, erect; petals oval, entire, tapering at the base to short claws; anthers light yellow; filaments short; pistil glabrous, longer than the stamens.

Fruit early, one and one-half inches by one and three-eighths inches in size, roundish-ovate to roundish-cordate, sides unequal; cavity large, deep, narrow, regular, abrupt; suture deep, distinct; apex very pointed; color garnet-red, mottled; bloom thin; dots numerous, small, russet; stem one-half inch long, adhering to the fruit; skin above medium in thickness, tender, slightly astringent, separating easily; flesh light yellow, fibrous, somewhat meaty, sweet except near the center; good; stone clinging, five-eighths inch by one-half inch in size, irregular-oval, slightly flattened, pointed at both ends, with pitted surfaces; ventral suture prominently winged, narrow; dorsal suture not grooved.

RED MAGNUM BONUM

Prunus domestica

1. Parkinson Par. Ter. 576, 577. 1629. 2. Rea Flora 208. 1676. 3. Langley Pomona 92, Pl. XX fig. V. 1729. 4. Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. 2:98, Pl. XV. 1768. 5. Kraft Pom. Aust. 2:31, Tab. 178 fig. 1. 1796. 6. Willichs Dom. Enc. 4:300. 1803. 7. Prince Pom. Man. 2:59. 1832. 8. Hoffy Orch. Com. fig. 1841. 9. Floy-Lindley Guide Orch. Gard. 292. 1846. 10. Horticulturist 4:194. 1849. 11. Ann. Pom. Belge 99, Pl. 1853. 12. Elliott Fr. Book 428, 429. 1854. 13. Noisette Man. Comp. Jard. 2:499. 1860. 14. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 943. 1869. 15. Mas Pom. Gen. 2:139, fig. 70. 1873. 16. Hogg Fruit Man. 721. 1884. 17. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 61. 1887. 18. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 445, 448. 1889. 19. Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 87. 1890. 20. Guide Prat. 158, 358. 1895.

Askew’s Purple Egg 12, 14, 16, 18. Blaue Kaiserpflaume 15, 18, 20 incor. Blaue Eier Pflaume 18 incor. Bockshoden 18, 20. Bocksdutten 18, 20. Bonum Magnum 18 incor., 20. Blue Imperatrice 7 incor., 8. Copper Plum 8. Die Kaiserliche veilchenfarbige Pflaume 5. Die Rothe Kaiserpflaume 10. Dame Aubert 13. Dame Aubert Violette 14, 16, 18, 20. Die Rothe Eierpflaume 14. Dame Aubert Rouge 17. Dame Aubert Rouge 19. D’Oeuf Violette 20. Early Forcing 12. Florence 12, 14, 16, 18, 20. Frühe Treib Zwetsche 18. Frühe Treibzwetsche 20. Great Imperial Plum 18, 20. Grosse Früh Zwetsche 18 incor. Grosse Ungarische Zwetsche 18 incor. Imperiall 1. Imperial 3, 6. Impériale Violette 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 16, 18, 20. Impériale Violette 4, 15, 20. Imperial Violet 7. Impériale 7, 14, 16, 18, 20. Imperiall 9. Imperial 9, 14, 18. Impériale Rouge 10, 14, 16, 18. Imperial Rouge 12, 18. Imperial Violet 14, 18. Impériale Hâtive 18, 20. Impériale rouge 20. Large Orlean 7. Mogul Rouge 16, 18. Oeuf Rouge 16, 18. Prune d’Oeuf Violette 18. Prinzessinpflaume 15. Prune-figue 13. Prune Impériale Violette 11. Prune d’oeuf 7, 14, 18. Purple Egg 7, 12, 14, 16, 18. Prune-oeuf 7. Purple Magnum Bonum 12, 14, 18. Red Magnum Bonum 8, 12, 20. Red Magnum 6. Red Imperiale 7, 8, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20. Red Bonum Magnum 3, 7, 18, 20. Red Egg Plum 10. Red Egg 12. Red Imperial 12. Red Egg 14, 16, 18. Red Aubert 17. Rote Eier Pflaume 18. Rote Kaiserpflaume 18. Rote Kaiser Zwetsche 18. 116 Riga 19. Rothe Kaiserpflaume 20. Rothe Kaiserzwetsche 20. Shepler ?14, ?18. Sainte-Catherine (Belgien) 18, 20. The Imperial Plum 2. Violette oder Blaue Kaiserpflaume 15.

Once popular, Red Magnum Bonum is now but of historical interest. Three centuries ago this variety was cultivated in England by John Tradescant under the name Imperiall. It was mentioned by all of the early horticultural writers and it seems clear that the variety was well established in Europe at least as early as the beginning of the Seventeenth Century. As all plums at that time were propagated from seed, a large number of sub-varieties of this sort were produced and as these became established the nomenclature of the variety became much involved. In 1729 Langley called it the Red Magnum Bonum, a name it has since retained. It is not known when the variety was introduced into this country but its first appearance in American literature was in 1803. After its introduction nurserymen sold any large red plum as Red Magnum Bonum and it became difficult to find the true variety. Professor J. L. Budd apparently reintroduced this plum in 1881-1882 under the name Dame Aubert Rouge. Although very extensively grown in America at one time it has never been a favorite because of its poor quality. The American Pomological Society rejected it in 1858 from a list of candidates for its catalog. The following description is compiled.

Tree hardy, vigorous, productive; young shoots glabrous. Fruit mid-season; large, oval, deep red in the sun, pale red in the shade, covered with thin bloom; stem one inch long; flesh greenish, firm, slightly coarse, dry, brisk subacid; of fair quality; stone oval, free.

REINE CLAUDE

Prunus domestica