Are greengages and plums the same thing? (growing, tree, leaf)

[Ethereal]

I read that greengages are a cultivar of Prunus domestica (European plum). Except, my Gulf Ruby cultivar tree of Prunus salicina (Chinese plum) produced fruit that tasted exactly greengages. They are supposed to go red when they're fully ripe, but I ate them when they were green and virtually gage-like. Their taste was no different to a greengage.

So I would take it that greengages are just plums that aren't fully ripe or what?

[luv4horses]

Green gage is a cultivar of edible plums.

[elnina]

From the same family. But plums come in many shapes and colors (there are around 40 species of plums)
https://leafyplace.com/types-of-plums/

[Ethereal]

Originally Posted by elnina

From the same family. But plums come in many shapes and colors (there are around 40 species of plums)
https://leafyplace.com/types-of-plums/

I'm aware that there are many cultivars and that they're all in the same family. I guess my question was if most plum varieties (if not all) would taste like greengages when they're not quite ripe and are green in colour. Because my ones sure did, and yet they aren't even P. domestica. Pretty strange. So in other words, you can get a "greengage" even if your plum isn't an actual greengage cultivar (P. d. ssp. italica), if that makes sense, because some unripe plum cultivars taste like, and the texture of, "true" greengages.

[Zoisite]

Plums, gages, damsons and sloes are closely related in the prunus family but they aren't all the same and don't always get their names because of their colours or taste. Greengage is the name of a specific cultivar of gage known to have a very high sugar content and succulence by comparison with other cultivars of plums, gages, damsons and sloes. Look-alikes are just other cultivars of "prunus whatever" that might look and taste like greengages at certain stages in their development but that doesn't make them greengages. Don't get hung up on the name "greengage" nor try to apply that name to other cultivars of plums, gages, damsons and sloes.

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[elnina]

Originally Posted by Ethereal

I'm aware that there are many cultivars and that they're all in the same family. I guess my question was if most plum varieties (if not all) would taste like greengages when they're not quite ripe and are green in colour. Because my ones sure did, and yet they aren't even P. domestica. Pretty strange. So in other words, you can get a "greengage" even if your plum isn't an actual greengage cultivar (P. d. ssp. italica), if that makes sense, because some unripe plum cultivars taste like, and the texture of, "true" greengages.

Most fruit bought from grocery stores isn't harvested ripe, but get ripe in warehouses under certain condition
I don't know where you bought your plums, but those direct from farmers tend to taste different, because they are harvested when ripe.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

You are picking and eating your green gage plums too early. They aren't ripe yet. They should be soft and quite sweet and yellow inside when you eat them.

[Zoisite]

I think there's a bit of confusion going on here. The OP is enquiring about his Gulf Ruby cultivar of Prunus salicina ( a red Chinese plum) that he has growing on his own property. OP never said he bought any plums anywhere and his Gulf Ruby tree that he picked some unripened samples from isn't a greengage. His Gulf Ruby simply produced some developing plums that he sampled while they were still green before they were ripe and red and he found them to be similar to greengages.

Here are pictures of ripened Gulf Ruby and Gulf Gold Chinese plums:

https://www.google.ca/search?q=Gulf+...ih=560&dpr=1.5

Here are greengages:

https://www.google.ca/search?q=ripe+...ih=560&dpr=1.5

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