Cultivar 169: Wragg

Wragg is an old sour cherry listed in prairie and northern fruit literature as a dark red pie cherry with small fruit, tart juice, and late summer ripening. Its origin is described as a sprout from another tree selected by J. Wragg of Waukee, Iowa, about 1884. A later prairie index lists its parentage or origin as unknown, which likely reflects the lack of a documented cross rather than a conflicting origin story. [S6] [S3] In prairie records, Wragg appears as one of the named sour cherries carried into both South Dakota recommendations and Canadian prairie lists. [S6] [S3]

Sources describe the fruit as about 1 inch across, roundish cordate, very dark red, with thin tender skin and dark red flesh. The flesh is tender and melting, the juice is reddish, and the flavor is sprightly and tart. Quality is described as good. The fruit ripens in late August and September. South Dakota extension material places Wragg among red pie cherries rather than sweet dessert types. [S6] [S2]

The tree is described as small and spreading, with drooping branchlets. At Morden, it was noted as hardy and annually productive. An earlier South Dakota grower report also called Wragg on its own roots the most promising of the cherries under discussion, giving it practical interest beyond simple inclusion in variety lists. [S6] [S5]

Its hardiness record is regional rather than simple. South Dakota extension recommendations call Wragg one of the winter tender red pie cherries and limit it to the milder Zones I and II. An older district bulletin likewise recommends it only in the warmer South Dakota districts. [S1] [S2] [S4] This contrasts with the Morden, Manitoba note describing the tree as hardy and annually productive, suggesting that performance depended heavily on site, strain, and prairie test conditions. [S6]

Wragg matters in the archive as a named nineteenth century sour cherry that persisted in prairie recommendation lists on both sides of the border. It links an Iowa origin, South Dakota trial culture, and later Canadian prairie evaluation in a single cultivar trail. [S3] [S4]

Summary source basis

• S1: South Dakota Fruit Garden (visual sample pages 9-11)
• S2: South Dakota Fruit Garden
• S3: An index of fruit cultivars tested or developed on the Canadian prairies.
• S4: A Study of Northwestern Apples
• S5: Fruit Culture
• S6: TreeFruitsGrownInPrairieOrchards WRLeslie 1946 HQ

This summary currently draws chiefly from TreeFruitsGrownInPrairieOrchards WRLeslie 1946 HQ, with 5 additional supporting sources linked below.

Featured source descriptions

“J. Wragg, Waukee, Iowa, about 1884, as a sprout from another tree.”
— ^[6]

“the winter tender red cherries”
— ^[1]

“Described as winter tender.”
— ^[3]

“Recommended in Districts 6, 7, 8, and the south tier of counties of District 5.”
— ^[2]

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

• For Zones Iand II, the winter tender red cherries, Early Richmond, Wragg and Montmorency.South Dakota Fruit Garden (visual sample pages 9-11), p2
• CHERRIES. Districts Nos. 6, 7, 8, and south tier of counties of District No. 5—Early Richmond, Wragg, English Morello, Ostheim.A Study of Northwestern Apples, p18
• For Zones Iand II, the winter tender red cherries, Early Richmond, Wragg and Montmorency.South Dakota Fruit Garden (visual sample pages 9-11), p2
• For Zones Iand II, the winter tender red cherries, Early Richmond, Wragg and Montmorency.South Dakota Fruit Garden (visual sample pages 9-11), p2

Taxonomy context: No family-tree context surfaced yet.

Related cultivars mentioned in source context