Cherry tree `Giant Red`

Abstract

Hardy tree of medium size and vigor; from `Large Red`×`Ruby`. Less open and spreading than `Large Red`, more open than `Ruby`. Self-shapes to rounded figure and moderate density, from open, leggy specimen. Scaffolds have strong, wide angles; secondary branching pendulous. Fruiting precocious, regular, and on spurs spaced about 6 cm; each having 5-6 fertile buds. May overbear on warm, dry years; sets well in wet, rainy weather during pollination, as in 1995. Mature leaves on 1-year wood are large, ovate, acuminate, acutely pointed; margins medium coarsely crenate; spur leaves are smaller, less crenate, more serrate, like those of `Large Red`. Blooms 6 days after `Early Red`, 2 days after `Ruby`, 4 days before `Garnet` and `Large Red', 9 days before `Bing` in Lodi. Fruit on May 15, 1994 following `Early Red` by 10 days, `Ruby` by 3, but 3 days before `Garnet`, 9 days before `Bing`. Fruit is unformly very very large with normal crop load; fruit stems are medium long when on Mahaleb stock. Fruiting uniformly on branches throughout tree; of uncommonly uniform ripening. Flesh is firm, meaty at picking ripe, slightly less firm than standards `Garnet` and `Bing`. Eating quality is exceptionally fine with high soluble solids, low/moderate acid, very agreeable sugar to acid ratio and semi-free stone. Flesh and juice are light red when skin attains solid light red; darkens with progressive ripeness.

I claim: 
     
       1. A new and distinct variety of cherry tree, substantially as illustrated and described, being of medium vigor, lateral branches with relatively wide, flat angles with the axis of the main branches, pendulous smaller branches, tree habit open, spreading, self shaping, and like Large Red requiring almost no pruning when young, some pruning for crop control when the more mature trees begin to bear too heavily, the fruit being very very large and quite uniform in size, slightly larger size than Large Red, with even distribution the length of the branches and throughout the tree, the fruit being moderately rounded on the ventral side, strongly rounded on the dorsal side with a fairly wide, very shallow compressed groove from base to apex, symmetrical in the transverse and longitudinal planes but asymmetrical in the suture plane, having high soluble solids with moderate acidity, attractive shiny dark red color when fully mature, having a fairly long fruit stem which is shorter than the fruit stem of Large Red, of medium thickness, a fruit that is physically easy to remove from the tree by pickers, and when compared with Large Red, which the present variety most closely resembles, equally precocious, heavier cropping, Large Red tending to produce more normal, lignter crops from year to year, fruit that is of equal firmness, no tendency to brown on the skin -- which is a problem with Large Red, even red color of the skin just before ripening as opposed to the speckled appearance of Large Red, slightly darker skin and flesh color at maturity, holds equally well on the tree without a tendency to turn black, larger in size with equivalent crop levels, picking ripe five (5) days earlier, having a slightly lower chilling requirement, cracking slightly more in wet weather, with a few sutures, but no spurs or doubles in the hotter Central Valley of Northern California.