the same tables are reproduced as individual PDFs and also in the California Master Gardener Handbook (2015)

UC Davis variety recommendations

Good fresh but especially good for drying. Yellow skin and amber flesh

Adriatic

Huge fruit, pale pink skin; similar to Wonderful

Ambrosia

Nickel-sized fruit. Unique flavor. Very productive

Anna

A cultivar from northern Spain that produces a very high quality fruity oil. Fruit is small. Very fruitful. One of the most cold tolerant

Arbequina

Small, fantastic flavor. White flesh. Early

Arctic Glo

Large-fruited cultivar, the most cold-hardy of all table cultivars in California. Large fruit, Oil is very aromatic

Ascolano

Medium-large fruit. Yellow flesh. Keeps well

Autumn Gold

Large. Purple skin. Self-fertile. Japanese plum

Autumn Rosa

Blenheim sport (mutation). Ripens in late summer to fall

Autumn Royal

Medium sized. White flesh. Freestone, low-chill cultivar

Babcock

The old industry standard. Use Davianna or Du Chilly as a pollenizer

Barcelona

The best-quality pear fruit. Bell shaped with white flesh and excellent flavor. Tree is susceptible to fire blight. Fruit keep relatively well, up to 2 months after maturing in August. Sensation is a red Bartlett

Bartlett

Baru

Greenish yellow skin. Amber flesh. Old, European plum

Bavay's Green Gage

Green skin, amber flesh, heart shaped. Poor keeper. Japanese plum

Beauty

Industry standard. Deep mahogany red fruit. Produces very heavily. Very susceptible to bacterial canker. Pollenized by Van, Black tartarian, or Sam. Bing, Lambert, and Royal Ann will not pollinate each other (they are intrasterile)

Bing

The most dependable cultivar for the home orchard. Purple-black skin with red flesh

Black Mission

Small, black fruit. A good pollenizer for Bing and most other cultivars

Black Tartarian

Not a true cultivar. Seedlings of Northern California Black Walnut trees

Black Walnut Seedling

Large, very flavorful, used for eating fresh and drying

Blenheim

Midseason cultivar that bears heavy crops regularly. Fruit are long and tapering, with a long neck and stem. Skin is golden russet brown

Bosc

A secondary main production nut. Use Davianna or Du Chilly as a pollenizer

Brixnut

A large, dark red fruit with good flavor. Produces few doubles even in hot climates

Brooks

Large fruit. Excellent quality. Purple-green skin. Red flesh

Brown Turkey

Red skin and flesh. Self-fertile. Holds well

Burgundy

Butler

Excellent quality. Nut well sealed in the shell. Excellent pollinzer

Carmel

Champion

Best choice for coastal California. New cultivar. 80% fruitful lateral buds. Produces a smaller tree that requires careful pruning and training. Blooms late. Leafs out late

Chandler

Male vine used to pollinate Hayward, 8:1 ratio

Chico

Greenish brown to brown russet skin. Coarse, tasty flesh

Chojuro

The industry standard and the overall best choice. Large fruited. Excellent quality. Parentage unknown

Colossal

Inconsistent bearer. Excellent fruit, green with red blush. Delicate skin, chubby shape. Very vigorous tree, does best on Quince rootstock. Late maturing

Comice

A cultivar from southern Italy that ripens very late. Very high oil content and very high in poly-phenols. Regular bearing but sensitive to cold

Coratina

Good winter pear with excellent keeping qualities. A large, vigorous tree. Egg-shaped fruit with a small shoulder. Light green to yellow-green color with white flesh. French origin. There is a red strain called Red Anjou

D'Anjou

Use Barcelona or Du Chilly as a pollenizer

Davianna

Native species, not a cultivar. Very small, very flavorful fruit. Must be eaten when soft

Diospyros virginiana

Use Barcelona or Davianna as a pollenizer

Du Chilly

A cross of American and Chinese cultivars. Medium-small nuts. Sweet, and blight resistant. Late flowering

Dunstan

Excellent flavor. Yellow-red blush. Semifreestone, low-chill cultivar

Earligrande

Moderate-sized fruit. Ripens 2 weeks before Bing. Soft flesh. Pollenized by Bing and B. Tartarian

Early Burlat

Early Richmond

Early season. Large, dark fred fruit. Prolific. Fruit hold on tree

Early Ruby

Eldorado

Purple skin. Large, heart shaped. Japanese plum

Elephant Heart

A new cultivar that has better quality than Barcelona. Use Butler as a pollenizer

Ennis

Eurobella

Very sweet, almost seedless fruit. Red skin, clear juice. Good for coastal areas

Eversweet

Large fruit. Yellow, firm flesh. Excellent flavor

Fairtime

Large, brightly-colored yellow freestone. Late

Fantasia

Fay Elberta

Excellent quality. Large, firm, yellow, clingstone

Flamekist

Apriplum. Golden skin and flesh. Strong, sweet apricot flavor

Flavor Ann

low chill. Apriplum. Golden skin and flesh. Strong, sweet apricot flavor. Reliable production. Sets best with cross-pollination from an apricot

Flavor Delight

low chill. Pluot. Green skin with red blush. Elongated shape, excellent flavor. Best pollinated with Burgundy plum

Flavor Grenade

low chill. Pluot. Red-purple skin. Good size, irregular ripening, sweet flavor. Cross-pollinated with Flavor Grenade, Beauty Plum, or Burgundy Plum

Flavor King

Pluot. Green-golden skin. Yellow, firm flesh. Good size. Excellent, very sweet flavor

Flavor Queen

Pluot. Green to brown skin. Red, juicy flesh. Excellent size and flavor

Flavor Supreme

Plumcot. Golden yellow skin. Very sweet, excellent flavor

Flavorella

Large, excellent flavor. Yellow, freestone. Midseason

Flavortop

Forty-Niner

Italian cultivar with a high oil content that is very aromatic, floral, and grassy. Not adapted to hot desert areas. Cold-sensitive

Frantoio

Medium-sized fruit. Self-fertile. Late maturing. European plum

French

Black skin. Firm, amber flesh. Mild flavor. Japanese plum

Friar

Round to flat apple with very sweet yellow-orange flesh. Skin is red if given enough sunlight and cool temperatures. One of the best sweet eating apples. Stores well

Fuji

Large, flat; orange-red color. Flesh is firm like an apple and nonastringent when ripe. Cross-pollination is no required, but when present, fruit will have seed. Trees are smaller, requiring 14-16ft. Fruit loses astringency at maturity while still firm and crunchy

Fuyu

Small to medium sized, conic red apple with excellent flavor and keeping qualities. The best cultivar for the early season

Gala

Conic apple with a long stem, yellow to green skin, yellow flesh, and russet dots. Sweet, juicy, fine textured. Number one on the California North Coast for fresh eating quality and processing. Stores well but susceptible to bitter pit, bruising, russeting. Erratic in self-fruitfulness

Golden Delicous

Large. Yellow flesh. Tender skin. Great flavor. Japanese plum

Golden Nectar

Large, great flavor. White flesh. Freestone

Goldmine

Deep crimson fruit color. Matures early but needs heat

Granada

Round, green to yellow-skinned apple that is quite firm. Keeps very well. Crisp flesh. If harvested early, it is green and tart. Late-harvested fruit are yellow and sweet

Granny Smith

Medium-large fruit with short, fat stem. Skin is greenish yellow overlaid with red stripes. Excellent flavor when fully ripe. Crisp, subacid, and aromatic. A good sauce and pie apple. Stores and ships poorly. High percentage of windfalls. Sterile pollen

Gravenstein

Large, deep orange-red, acorn-shaped fruit. Flesh turns brown around the seed and must be very soft to eat. Does not need cross-pollination. Trees get large and require 20 ft. Fruit is astringent until very ripe and soft

Hachiya

The main cultivar grown in California. Excellent-quality nuts. Huge tree but requires little pruning. 5% fruitful lateral buds. Leafs out late, blooms late. Good choice

Hartley

The commercial female cultivar grown in California. Large fruit. Excellent flavor. Will ripen on the vine but can be picked when still hard, placed in cold storage (32°F), and removed to room temperature for final ripening. Will keep for up to 6 months

Hayward

Heavenly White

Brown skin, juicy white flesh with a sweet aromatic flavor

Hosui

Good choice. New cultivar. 80% fruitful lateral buds. Produces a smaller tree that requires careful pruning and training. Blooms late. Leafs out late

Howard

Large, pink skin. Yellow flesh. Japanese plum

Howard Miracle

Hyakume

Large fruit. Requires cross pollination. Late maturing. European plum

Imperial

Cling. Red skin and flesh. Tart. Prolific

Indian Blood Cling

Dime-sized fruit that requires no cross-pollination

Issai

Large fruit. Purple skin. Yellow flesh. European plum

Italian

Italian Everbearing

Round, red apple with pure white flesh. Crisp, juicy, and slightly subacid. Excellent for eating fresh, sauce, and juice. Highly susceptible to mildew, fire blight, and Jonathan spot

Jonathan

Requires high temperatures and a long growing season to perform well. Yellow-green fruit with amber flesh. Produces both a breba and a second crop with moderate pruning

Kadota

Green-yellow skin and flesh. Japanese plum

Kelsey

Dime-sized fruit. Red flesh and skin. Excellent flavor

Ken's Red

Yellow-green skin. White flesh, excellent flavor. Fruit drop from tree when ripe

Kikusui

Medium sized. Firm, red. Excellent flavor. Somewhat more disease resistant

La Feliciana

Dark, large, firm fruit. Pollenized by Van. Late season. Lambert, Bing, and Royal Ann do not pollinate each other

Lambert

Laroda

Italian cultivar used in olive oil blends with Frantoio. Ripens a little earlier than other cultivars. Cold-hardy

Leccino

Very large fruit. Red skin. Yellow flesh. Freestone. Somewhat more disease resistant

Loring

The main cultivar used for the black California-style olive. Low, spreading, medium-sized tree, early-maturing fruit with a medium oil content. Trees are susceptible to cold injury, peacock spot, and olive knot

Locations

Chart (Central Coast)

Plants (Central Coast)