The Hanska has been known to bear heavy crops when native plums were almost a total failure. Begins to bear at two years. Very small pit. Exceedingly hardy and vigorous.
Originated by Prof. N.E. Hanson, Professor of Horticulture in the South Dakota College of Agriculture, and Agricultural Explorer for the United States Department of Agriculture.
The female parent is a seedling of our wild Northwestern plum (Prunus americana); the male parent is the large, firm-fleshed, fragrant, apricot-plum of China (Prunus simonii), popular in the orchards of California.
Hanska is Sioux Indian for "tall," alluding to the extremely rapid growth in nursery and orchard. Three-year-old trees attain a height of twelve feet. First introduced in the spring of 1908.
The fruit of this variety is much admired for its beautiful color, which is bright red, with heavy blue bloom, firm yellow flesh, good quality and rich fragrance. The fruit is one and one-half inches to one and nine-sixteenths inches in diameter, often larger. When cooked, the apricot flavor is brought out to perfection, entirely unlike any native plum. The flat shape also distinguishes it from all the other hardy plums in the Northwest.