Briançon prune

Prunus oleaginosa, Briançon Plum

A unique fruit from the high Alps, the Briançon Plum never charmed with its taste; Poiteau deemed it of "unbearable astringency", but rather with the richness of its kernel. From this kernel, marmot oil was extracted, a precious essence with a delicate flavor sought after since the 19th century, which then sold for twice the price of olive oil.

This unassuming tree of the alpine mountains embodies utilitarian botany, where the value of a species is not in its palatability but in the ingenuity of its uses.

The Briançon Plum tree is a small tree, 2 to 2.5 meters high, with horizontal branches and greenish buds marked with reddish spots.

Its leaves, oval and toothed, resemble those of the elm, hence its nickname "elm-leaved plum tree."

In spring, the tree is covered with small white flowers tinged with yellow, grouped in fours, followed by oval fruits with smooth yellow skin, sometimes spotted with red.

These plums ripen in late September in abundant clusters around the branches. Their yellow flesh, initially tart then bland at full ripeness, is hardly edible. But their oval kernel, sharp on one side and obtuse on the other, contains an oily almond with a delicate fragrance. Poiteau notes that brandy could also be made from this fruit, and Bosc suggests planting the tree in rocky areas to stabilize soils, although the species actually prefers good soil.

This plate is taken from the Traité des Arbres Fruitiers by Pierre-Antoine Poiteau and Pierre Jean François Turpin, a botanical encyclopedia published between 1807 and 1835, a major reference in 19th-century naturalistic illustration.

It combines the rigor of scientific drawing with a rare artistic sensibility, characteristic of the great plates from the golden age of illustrated botany.