Frank

'Frank' is one of the older California natal plum selections and occupies an unusual niche: it is documented as a good pollen supplier that nonetheless yields poorly on its own. Both Morton's survey of the crop and the standard reference summaries describe it in those terms. In a species where isolated plants frequently fail to fruit because of self-incompatibility, a reliable pollen parent has real value even when it is not worth planting for its own harvest, and 'Frank' is usually mentioned alongside 'Torrey Pines' in that role. Anyone planting a natal plum block for fruit rather than for hedging should treat it as a pollinizer companion to a productive clone such as 'Gifford' or 'Fancy', not as the main crop. It is a historic name and is rarely offered commercially today.