Cultivar 168: Early Richmond

Early Richmond is a sour cherry of the Amarelle group. It was long grown as a pie cherry and was often used as a standard of comparison in northern fruit writing.[S8] Prairie sources describe it as an old cultivar, probably an Amarelle seedling, developed in England from French seed around 1629.[S8] In northern plains and prairie records, it appears less as a novelty than as a benchmark. It was a known red sour cherry used to judge newer hardy cherries, sand cherries, and dwarf cherry schemes.[S1][S6]

South Dakota recommendations place it only in the milder parts of the state. Early South Dakota district lists recommended it for Districts 6, 7, 8, and the southern tier of District 5.[S5] Later extension guidance for Zones I and II calls it one of the winter tender red pie cherries, along with Wragg and Montmorency.[S3] A 1979 nursery circular goes further and marks it as not dependably hardy even in the most favored parts of South Dakota.[S4] These sources point the same way: Early Richmond was valued, but its hardiness limited it in colder prairie conditions.[S3][S4][S5]

At Morden, the fruit is described as about 1 inch across, round oblate, and light red to dark red, with pale yellow flesh and light pink juice.[S8] The flesh is stringy and tender, with a sprightly, pleasing flavor, and quality is rated very good.[S8] In prairie literature, its main role is as a red pie cherry, not a sweet cherry or novelty fruit.[S3][S8]

Its season is given as July in prairie orchard notes from Morden.[S8] Older South Dakota reports help explain why it persisted. In the Black Hills, one grower with five hundred cherry trees, mostly Early Richmond, called it his most profitable cherry and said birds troubled it less than Black Tartarian.[S7] He also said the crop sold well because it reached market when few other cherries were available.[S7]

Tree notes from Morden describe it as upright spreading, medium sized, dense, and productive after mild winters.[S8] That last point matters. South Dakota writers repeatedly separate its fruit value from its winter survival, and one bulletin says cultivated cherries could not yet be recommended across the state, even though older sorts such as Early Richmond fruited well at times in the south.[S7] Evidence on sand cherry stock was also mixed. One report said Early Richmond buds set on sand cherry but failed to grow, while another described a dwarfed two year old tree on sand cherry stock that still bore a good crop.[S6]

Summary source basis

• S1: New Hardy Fruits for the Northwest
• S2: South Dakota Fruit Garden (visual sample pages 9-11)
• S3: South Dakota Fruit Garden
• S4: Nursery Plants Available from South Dakota Nurseries
• S5: A Study of Northwestern Apples
• S6: The Western Sand Cherry
• S7: Fruit Culture
• S8: TreeFruitsGrownInPrairieOrchards WRLeslie 1946 HQ

This summary currently draws chiefly from The Western Sand Cherry, with 8 additional supporting sources linked below.

Featured source descriptions

“Used as a comparison standard for fruit size and character.”
— ^[4]

“Available from nursery listing 7.”
— ^[6]

“the winter tender red cherries”
— ^[2]

“Described as winter tender.”
— ^[5]

Direct parent cultivars

• No direct linked parent cultivars promoted yet.

Parentage claim text

• No direct breeding_cross claim text yet.

Derived or downstream cultivar links

• No derived or downstream lineage links yet.

Source-story quotations

• EARLY RICHMOND—This is the early popular cherry that is planted so much. Medium red, hardy, immensely productive, ripens the last of June.Planting time, 1950 / Alpha Nursery, p7
• EARLY RICHMOND—This is the early popular cherry that is planted so much. Medium red, hardy, immensely productive, ripens the last of June.Planting time, 1950 / Alpha Nursery, p7
• EARLY RICHMOND—This is the early popular cherry that is planted so much. Medium red, hardy, immensely productive, ripens the last of June.Planting time, 1950 / Alpha Nursery, p7
• EARLY RICHMOND—This is the early popular cherry that is planted so much. Medium red, hardy, immensely productive, ripens the last of June.Planting time, 1950 / Alpha Nursery, p7

Taxonomy context: No family-tree context surfaced yet.

Related cultivars mentioned in source context