Cultivar 2317: Sk Carmine Jewel

SK Carmine Jewel is a dwarf sour cherry for prairie gardens. University of Saskatchewan material lists it as P. x kerrasis and places it in hybrid sour cherry work based on Prunus eminens or Mongolian cherry background. It came from crosses of P. eminens with the Minnesota cultivar North Star. Dr. Cecil Stushnoff and Rick Sawatsky began the work in 1985 at the University of Saskatchewan. The source says the new variety had a good size for picking and much better fruit quality. [S1]

The fruit is dark red, with bright red juice. In a 1999 comparison table, SK Carmine Jewel averaged 4.0 grams, ripened from mid July to mid August, measured 14.0 Brix, and retained 66 percent water after freezing. The same guide calls it very early, while Evans is listed as mid season. Taste tests found that most people enjoyed SK Carmine Jewel fresh late in the season, although some tartness remained. [S1]

Its dark juice gives it strong processing value. The guide says dark sour cherries such as SK Carmine Jewel are preferred for juice, wine, jelly, dairy products, and baked goods. It contrasts them with bright red sour cherries, which are more often preferred for pies, preserves, and toppings. [S1]

The plant is compact for a cherry. The 1999 table gives a height of 2 to 2.6 m, or 6 to 8 ft. It has showy white spring blossoms and dark green glossy summer leaves. The source also says SK Carmine Jewel grows on its own roots, which avoids grafting problems. [S1]

Hardiness is promising, but the source does not give a firm trial conclusion. The author guesses SK Carmine Jewel is hardy to zone 2a and probably hardier than Evans because it is shorter and has Mongolian cherry ancestry. The same page says it was still hard to know how far north the available prairie sour cherries could be grown because the releases were new. Farther north, fruiting may vary with winter kill of flower buds. [S1]

SK Carmine Jewel belongs to the prairie dwarf sour cherry group tied to University of Saskatchewan breeding. Its immediate parentage is P. eminens crossed with North Star. That should be kept separate from broader taxonomic context such as P. cerasus, P. fruticosa, Mongolian cherry lineage, and the document's wider discussion of hybrid sour cherries. [S1]

Summary source basis

• S1: Dwarf Sour Cherries for the Prairies

This summary currently draws chiefly from Dwarf Sour Cherries for the Prairies.

Selected source quotations

“From these crosses the new variety SK Carmine Jewel originated. This variety has an optimum tree size for picking and much improved fruit quality.”
— Dwarf Sour Cherries for the Prairies, p3

“SK Carmine Jewel is a very early cultivar while Evans is mid season.”
— Dwarf Sour Cherries for the Prairies, p6

Direct parent cultivars

• No direct linked parent cultivars promoted yet.

Parentage claim text

• SK Carmine Jewel originated from crosses of P. eminens with the Minnesota cultivar North Star.

Derived or downstream cultivar links

• No derived or downstream lineage links yet.

Source-story quotations

• From these crosses the new variety SK Carmine Jewel originated. This variety has an optimum tree size for picking and much improved fruit quality.Dwarf Sour Cherries for the Prairies, p3
• From these crosses the new variety SK Carmine Jewel originated. This variety has an optimum tree size for picking and much improved fruit quality.Dwarf Sour Cherries for the Prairies, p3
• From these crosses the new variety SK Carmine Jewel originated. This variety has an optimum tree size for picking and much improved fruit quality.Dwarf Sour Cherries for the Prairies, p3
• From these crosses the new variety SK Carmine Jewel originated. This variety has an optimum tree size for picking and much improved fruit quality.Dwarf Sour Cherries for the Prairies, p3

Taxonomy context: No family-tree context surfaced yet.

Related cultivars mentioned in source context