Picta Striata

Origin and History

Received by the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station from Ellwanger and Barry, Rochester, N.Y., in 1888 for testing. Listed in Ellwanger and Barry's catalog (1888) and noted in agricultural publications by 1905.

Tree

Tree rather large. Form upright spreading to roundish with rather drooping laterals. Twigs long, curved, slender with short internodes. Bark clear brown, tinged with green, lightly mottled with scarf-skin; slightly pubescent near tips. Lenticels quite numerous, rather conspicuous, medium size, oval, not raised. Buds medium size, plump, acute, free, not pubescent.

Bearing and Growth: A good grower that comes into bearing rather late but is an annual cropper, yielding moderate to good crops.

Fruit

Size and Form: Medium to above medium, uniform in size but not in shape. Form oblate to roundish oblate, irregularly ribbed.

Stem: Long and slender.

Cavity: Obtuse, medium to rather deep, medium to broad, compressed, smooth or nearly so.

Calyx: Usually small and closed; lobes separated at base, long, medium in width, acute to acuminate. Calyx tube moderately short, rather narrow, conical to urn-shaped. Stamens marginal or nearly so.

Basin: Shallow to medium in depth, medium in width, obtuse, nearly smooth.

Skin: Thin, tender, smooth, rather glossy. Ground color pale greenish-yellow, nearly covered with crimson, blushed and striped with carmine. Dots indistinct, small, and gray.

Core and Seeds: Core medium to large, axile; cells slightly open or closed; core lines clasping. Carpels roundish to elliptical, concave, deeply emarginate, sometimes tufted. Seeds rather dark brown, medium size, wide, short, obtuse.

Flesh and Flavor: Tinged with yellow, firm, a little coarse, tender, juicy. Flavor somewhat astringent, sprightly subacid; quality good. Described overall as handsome with rather mild flavor.

Season

October to early winter.

Uses

The fruit is described as handsome but is hardly large enough for a good commercial variety, suggesting its suitability is limited to home gardens and amateur cultivation rather than market production.