Purple Damson Plum - Botanical poster 50×70 cm

Prunus praedura ovata - Violet Gros-Damas Plum

In the mid-19th century, Poiteau noted that this plum "can be counted among the good plums," a measured judgment that speaks volumes: this purplish-skinned fruit, covered with a delicate azure bloom, was already appreciated for its abundant juice and firm flesh that easily detaches from the pit.

But he warned: the tree should not be overloaded, otherwise the fruits fall before maturity. A quality requirement that reveals the attention paid by arborists of the time to the management of their orchards.

The Violet Gros-Damas is a large, vigorous, upright, and very fertile plum tree, with branches extending horizontally. Its long, slender buds turn light red in the sun.

The leaves are large, oval, light green, slightly hairy, bordered with rounded teeth.

The milk-white flowers are small and delicate.

The fruit, of medium size, measures about 3cm in height by 2.5cm in diameter. Its very faint, dark red skin, sometimes yellowish, is dotted with small ashy spots and covered with an azure bloom that gives it its characteristic violet hue.

The yellow flesh, firm and slightly tart, releases abundant and very good juice. Maturity occurs in August and lasts a long time. When the tree bears too many fruits, those that fall can be made into long-lasting compotes, precious for winter.

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

• Each poster is printed using 12-color giclée printing, the benchmark for art workshops for rendering fine tones, subtle gradients, and the most delicate botanical details.
• 200 gsm paper weight, soft matte finish, 0.26 mm thickness: a result close to the original engraving, sharp, without glare, designed for hanging.
• Printed on FSC certified paper, printed individually to order.
• Shipped in a rigid protective tube.