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Hybrid fruit trees

Hybrid or inter-specific fruit varieties arising from cross-pollination between fruits of different species.

  • Aprikyra®

    Aprikyra inter-specific trees
    A sweet self-fertile apricot-cherry cross, also known as an Aprichery or Cherrycot
    • Self-fertility: Self-fertile
    • Flowering group: 4
  • Aprimira®

    Aprimira inter-specific trees
    Aprimira is a sweet self-fertile apricot-mirabelle cross, also known as a miracot.
    £43.75 - £60.50buy
    • Picking season: Early
    • Self-fertility: Self-fertile
    • Flowering group: 2
  • Aprisali®

    Aprisali inter-specific trees
    A sweet self-fertile apricot - plum cross, also known as an Aprium.
    £65.50buy
    • Picking season: Mid
    • Self-fertility: Self-fertile
    • Flowering group: 3
  • Benita Rafzas®

    Benita Rafzas is an unusual cross between an Asian and European pear.
    • Picking season: Early
    • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
    • Flowering group: 2
  • Flavor King

    Flavor King inter-specific trees
    Flavor King is a pluot (Japanese plum / apricot cross) with large sweet fruit.
    £60.50buy
    • Picking season: Late
    • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
    • Flowering group: 1
  • Shipova

    Shipova inter-specific trees
    Shipova is a rare pear / whitebeam hybrid, producing small pear-like edible fruits.
    • Self-fertility: Self-fertile
    • Flowering group: 4


How to choose Hybrid fruit trees

New fruit varieties are usually developed by crossing varieties of the same species. However new varieties can also arise from inter-breeding between varieties of different (but related) species. These are known as hybrid or inter-specific varieties.

Hybridisation is particularly common in stone fruits such as plums, cherries, and apricots. Indeed the common plum (Prunus domestica) is thought to be natural hybrid between a sloe (Prunus spinosa) and a cherry-plum (Prunus cerasifera). Although these days most hybrids are developed in university-led research programmes, they are not genetically modified (GMOs) - the process is still based on taking pollen from one variety and pollinating another in the hope of producing a new variety with the desired mix of characteristics.

Apricots are a particular focus in the development of new inter-specific fruit varieties because they naturally produce larger fruits than cherries or plums, and will easily cross-pollinate with them.