Cherry
Crab Apple
Cherry
Origin / History
Cherry is an old variety of unknown origin. Budd and Hansen call it "one of the oldest varieties" and place it in the pure Pyrus baccata type, with deciduous calyx segments. Desportes described it in The Horticulturist in 1856 as No. 8, under the name "Cherry Apple." Beach cites earlier accounts by Warder (1867), Downing (1869), Barry (1883), the Montreal Horticultural Society Report (1884), Thomas (1897, with figure; Fig. 484 in the 1903 edition), and Budd-Hansen (1903). Warder, Barry, and the Montreal society entered it as "Cherry Crab." Hedrick calls it a crab "remarkable for the large size, productiveness, and regularity in bearing of the trees," and writes that "the fruits are small, red, and rather too coarse to be wholly acceptable."
Tree
Tree moderately vigorous, a pretty good grower, particularly on light soils, attaining considerable size. Branches long, slender, curved; Hedrick says the trees "may be further distinguished" by these branches. Form upright spreading to roundish, open. Twigs moderately long, straight, moderately stout; internodes long. Bark clear reddish-brown tinged with olive-green, mottled with scarf-skin especially at the tips, slightly pubescent. Lenticels very scattering, small, roundish, not raised. Buds prominent, medium to large, plump, acute, free, not pubescent. Productive and quite a regular bearer.
Fruit
Size: Small; Thomas calls it very small. Desportes measures it one inch high by three-fourths of an inch in diameter.
Form: Oblate, round oblate, or roundish, ribbed (Beach), nearly regular or slightly angular (Budd and Hansen). The two earliest descriptions give a taller fruit. Desportes calls it ovoid, cordiform toward the stem and conic toward the eye. Downing calls it roundish ovate, pointed.
Stem: Long to very long, slender, bracted (Beach); Desportes calls the stalk small and curved.
Cavity: Shallow, obtuse to slightly acute, somewhat russeted. Beach and Budd and Hansen call it rather broad or wide, and Budd and Hansen call it regular, with a little broken russet. Thomas calls it narrow.
Calyx: Usually closed, the segments eventually deciduous; as they fall off they leave a round russet scar (Budd and Hansen). Beach calls the calyx medium to large; Thomas calls it small. Desportes describes the eye as large, projecting out of the surface, formed of a bundle of small wrinkles crowded by the segments of the calyx. Calyx tube funnel-form; stamens marginal (Beach).
Basin: Wide, shallow, obtuse, wrinkled (Beach). Thomas calls it narrow and very shallow.
Skin: Surface smooth (Budd and Hansen). Ground light or pale yellow, nearly covered with bright red, often striped with carmine, and overspread with a thin bluish bloom (Beach; Budd and Hansen). The earlier authors describe far less color. Desportes gives the skin as uniformly yellowish lemon, a little spotted with red on the sunny side; Downing gives it as spotted and blended with red, and Thomas as having a red blush.
Dots: Distinct, numerous, large, whitish or russet. Thomas calls them small.
Flesh and flavor: Flesh yellow or yellowish, crisp, juicy, rather coarse (Beach), mild subacid and somewhat astringent; Downing calls it "pleasant," Budd and Hansen "pleasant acid." Hedrick rates it "fair" and calls the fruit "rather too coarse to be wholly acceptable."
Core and seeds: Core large, axile; cells closed. Carpels broadly roundish or elliptical, emarginate, mucronate (Beach).
Season
The season runs from August through October. Most authors give September and October; Beach gives the last of August to October, and Thomas alone puts it in August. Downing says the fruit "hangs long, almost even to drying on the tree," a remark Budd and Hansen repeat.
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 6 period pomological works
View original book sources (6)
— B. Desportes, The Horticulturist (1856)No. 8. Cherry Apple—Fruit, one inch high, three-fourths of an inch in diameter; form, ovoid, cordiform towards the stem, conic towards the eye; this is terminated by a small stalk, long, slender, curved; eye, large, projecting out of the surface, formed with a bundle of small wrinkles, crowded by segments of calyx; color, yellowish lemon uniformly, nevertheless a little spotted with red on the sunny side.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Cherry.
Fruit small, roundish ovate, pointed, light yellow, spotted and blended with red. Flesh crisp, juicy, pleasant, hangs long, almost even to drying on the tree. September, October.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Cherry. Very small, round oblate; light yellow, red blush, dots small; stem very long, slender; cavity narrow, shallow; calyx small; basin narrow, very shallow. Flesh yellow, juicy, sub-acid astringent. August. Fig. 484.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)CHERRY.
REFERENCES. 1. Warder, 1867:715. 2. Downing, 1869:422. 3. Barry, 1883:359. 4. Montreal Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1884:39. 5. Thomas, 1897:298. fig. 6. Budd-Hansen, 1903:217.
SYNONYMS. Cherry (2, 5, 6). Cherry Crab (1, 3, 4).
Cherry is an old variety of unknown origin. The tree is a pretty good grower, particularly on light soils, attains considerable size and is quite a regular bearer.
Tree.
Tree moderately vigorous with long, slender, curved branches. Form upright spreading to roundish, open. Twigs moderately long, straight, moderately stout; internodes long. Bark clear reddish-brown tinged with olive-green, mottled with scarf-skin especially at the tips; slightly pubescent. Lenticels very scattering, small, roundish, not raised. Buds prominent, medium to large, plump, acute, free, not pubescent.
Fruit.
Fruit small. Form oblate or roundish, ribbed. Stem long to very long, slender, bracted. Cavity rather broad, shallow, obtuse to slightly acute, somewhat russeted. Calyx medium to large, usually closed or eventually deciduous. Basin wide, shallow, obtuse, wrinkled. Skin pale yellow nearly covered with bright red, often striped with carmine and overspread with a thin bluish bloom. Dots distinct, numerous, large, whitish or russet. Calyx tube funnel-form. Stamens marginal. Core large, axile; cells closed. Carpels broadly roundish or elliptical, emarginate, mucronate. Flesh yellowish, rather coarse, juicy, crisp, mild subacid, somewhat astringent. Season last of August to October.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Cherry. — Of the pure Pyrus baccata type, having deciduous calyx segments. One of the oldest varieties.
Fruit small, oblate, nearly regular or slightly angular; surface smooth, yellow, nearly covered with bright red, with blue bloom; dots distinct, many, large, whitish; cavity regular, obtuse, wide, with a little broken russet; stem very long, slender; basin wide, shallow; calyx closed; segments as they fall off leave a round russet scar; flesh crisp, juicy, pleasant acid; the fruit hangs long, almost even to drying, on the tree. September, October.
— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)CHERRY. This crab is remarkable for the large size, productiveness, and regularity in bearing of the trees, which may be further distinguished by their long, slender, curved branches. The fruits are small, red, and rather too coarse to be wholly acceptable. Cherry is an old variety of unknown origin.
Tree vigorous, upright-spreading, open, with long, slender, curved branches. Fruit small, oblate-round, ribbed; stem long to very long, slender, bracted; cavity broad, shallow, obtuse, russeted; calyx medium to large, usually closed, eventually deciduous; basin wide, shallow, obtuse, wrinkled; skin pale yellow covered with bright red, often striped with carmine and overspread with thin bloom; dots distinct, numerous, large, white or russet; calyx-tube funnel-form; stamens marginal; core large, axile; cells closed; carpels broadly round or elliptical, emarginate, mucronate; flesh yellow, coarse, juicy, crisp, mild subacid, astringent; fair; August to October.