Cherry tree `Firm Red`

Abstract

Hardy, heat tolerant, vigorous, large upright tree; moderately spreading similar to `Garnet`, the pollen parent. Current mature leaves are large, ovate, acuminate, and acutely pointed, having margins like those of the seed parent `Large Red`. Blooms 4 days after `Garnet` and `Large Red`; has a slightly higher chilling requirement than either; setting well in wet weather with no straggle bloom, for a one-shot harvest. Very large, uncommonly firm fruit has long, medium-thick stems; is exceptionally crack-free, even in wet, rainy weather, setting precedence. Fully matures 5 days after `Giant Red`, 3 days after `Garnet` and `Bing` at Lodi. Flesh is firm, crisp, uniform in maturity and size; having stems shorter than `Large Red` but longer than `Garnet`. Fruit is evenly distributed along the branches throughout tree. Fruit per bud is 1, but mostly 2 and 3. Annually crops are even and stable. Skin color is shiny red maturing to red-black. Flesh is about 40% firmer than `Garnet` and `Bing`, the major mid-season industry standards for firmness. Free-stone fruit has good eating qualities, good flavor, excellent sugar-acid ratio, moderate acidity and solid red skin color. Strongly similar topg,2 `Giant Red` form, with large, prominent, strongly rounded shoulders somewhat compressed in the suture plane; large, circular, deep flaring stem cavity unlike `Garnet`, and less rounded on the ventral surface from base to apex, with the ventral surface being somewhat flatter, with similar prominent, strongly rounded shoulders.

I claim: 
     
       1. A new and distinct variety of cherry tree, substantially as illustrated and described: a very vigorous, large tree with a tree habit semi-upright and semi-open, hardy and heat tolerant; leaves large, ovate, acuminate, acutely pointed, with leaf margins coarsely crenate, setting from one (1) to three (3) fruits per fruit bud, the fruit being very very large and uniform in size with even distribution of fruit the length of the branches and throughout the tree, blooming four (4) days later than `Garnet` and `Large Red`, indicating a slightly higher chilling requirement than either parent; a moderately heavy bloom, with large flowers that have an open appearance; flower cup with a slight reddish tinge with nopigment on the sepals; fairly long, medium thick unpigmented fruit stems that are not as long as the stems of `Large Red`, the seed parent, but considerably longer than Garnet the pollen parent; fruit firm hard and crisp, shiny red skin color when picking ripe, with a red to reddish black pigmented line from base to apex on the suture line, skin of the fruit turning dark red at full maturity with very very dark red flesh and juice; the fruit being very similar in form to `Giant Red`, with very prominent rounded shoulders that accentuate a circular, deep, flaring stem cavity, being strongly rounded on the dorsal side with a very shallow almost inconspicuous compressed groove from base to apex, moderately rounded on the ventral side; a fairly long medium thick stem that is shorter than that of `Large Red`, the seed parent, but much longer than that of `Garnet`, the pollen parent; the size of the fruit being somewhat larger than the large fruited `Garnet` and `Large Red` varieties, and equal in size to the very very large size of `Giant Red`; being considerably firmer and harder than `Garnet`, `Large Red` and `Giant Red`, with more firmness than any other commercial variety known to the originator; picking ripe five (5) days after `Giant Red`, three (3) days after `Garnet`, the same timing as `Large Red`; the present variety being the only exceedingly firm, hard, crisp fruit, known to the originator, that is almost crack free in extremely wet weather conditions during harvest; with few sutures but no spurs or doubles in the hotter Central Valley of Northern California.