Cherry tree named `Skeena`

Abstract

A new and distinct variety of cherry tree, originating from a controlled cross of the seed parent `2N-60-7` and the pollen parent `2N-38-32`, is described. Under growing conditions at the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre (PARC) Summerland located at Summerland in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada the variety is distinguished by its large kidney shaped fruit, with glossy, wine red to mahogany colored skin with fine light dots, and red to dark red flesh. The fruit has a non-prominent suture and a flat to slightly hollow apex and is borne on medium-long, thick stems. The stone of the fruit is round, is large relative to the fruit, and has an undeveloped keel. The fruit matures late in the cherry season, 12 to 16 days after `Van` and `Bing` and 1 to 5 days after `Lapins`. The fruit is very firm, very large, has a sweet taste, and is tolerant to rain splitting. The tree is upright to upright spreading in habit, moderately vigorous, self-compatible, precocious and very productive, and has produced good crops annually since fruiting commenced. The variety was named `Skeena` in 1996. The leaves of `Skeena` are less glossy than the comparison varieties. The leaves are horizontal in attitude relative to the shoot and have dentate margins. The petioles are long and have 2 or 3 nectaries per petiole. `Skeena` flowers in the middle of the bloom season and has white, single in type flowers that appear in clusters. The petals of the flowers are broad elliptic in shape and are overlapping.

We claim: 
     
       1. A new and distinct variety of cherry tree, substantially as herein illustrated and described, named `Skeena`, originating from a controlled cross of the seed parent `2N-60-7` and the pollen parent `2N-38-32` and distinguished from other varieties in that the fruit that is kidney shaped with a flat to slightly hollow apex, matures late in the cherry harvest season (about 12 to 16 days after `Van` and `Bing`), has glossy, wine red to mahogany colored skin with fine light-colored highlights and red to dark red flesh, is very large, very firm, sweet, rain tolerant, and has a large round stone with an undeveloped keel, is borne on medium to long, thick stems and is produced on a tree that is moderately vigorous, upright to upright spreading in habit, is precocious and very productive, produces good crops annually, and is self-compatible and has leaves that are oriented horizontally to the shoot with petioles with 2 or 3 nectaries and that flowers in the middle of the bloom season producing single type flowers in clusters that have medium sized, broad elliptic shaped, overlapping petals, under growing conditions at Summerland in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada.