Taxon ID:
Usage Facet: class=edible; edible_score=1.0; ornamental_score=0.0; inferred_from_taxon=no
Relationships: 0 | Linked Entities (visible): 0 | Evidence claims: 15 | History events: 0 | Catalog issue offerings: 0
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Evidence Badge: emerging | claims=15 | sources=2 | contradictions=0
Claim Types: description_snippet:3, fruit_color:2, productivity:2, recommendation_context:2, culinary_use:1, flavor_profile:1, fruit_size:1, selection_origin_reference:1, source_reference_abbreviation:1, taxon_context:1 | Open evidence summary JSON | Open citation drawer JSON
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Macdonald is a rhubarb cultivar described in nursery sources as a large stalked, high quality red sort selected for tenderness, color, and yield. A 1937 catalog presents it as a new red rhubarb and says it originated at MacDonald College in Quebec, Canada. That source also quotes Prof. L. G. Bunting in praising its large size, heavy production, excellent quality, and strong red color. A 1950 nursery guide still ranked Macdonald among the best large stalked rhubarbs, suggesting it remained a respected northern garden variety for at least the next decade. [S1] [S2]
The sources focus on the stalks rather than on breeding history. They describe Macdonald as very highly colored, attractive red, very tender and succulent, and productive. One catalog says its cooked color, even without peeling, is as attractive as raspberries. It was promoted especially for pies and desserts. Later nursery copy recommended it for growers who wanted high quality, good red color, and heavy yields of large stalks. [S1] [S2]
Macdonald appears here in a northern nursery context, not as a formally documented breeding release with detailed parentage. The available sources place it in Canadian and northwestern nursery trade channels, with MacDonald College in Quebec named as its origin. No direct hardiness zone statement appears in these records, but both sources place it among hardy perennial edibles for northern planting. [S1] [S2]
The surviving descriptions are strongly promotional, but they agree on the traits that made Macdonald notable: red stalk color, large size, tenderness, and heavy yield. These traits help explain why it was sold as more than just another rhubarb, but as a variety chosen for both appearance and kitchen use. [S1] [S2]
Summary source basis
This summary currently draws chiefly from Hardy fruits for Northern planting, trees, shrubs, 1937, with 1 additional supporting sources linked below.
Direct parent cultivars
Parentage claim text
Derived or downstream cultivar links
Source-story quotations
Taxonomy context: No family-tree context surfaced yet.
Related cultivars mentioned in source context
Zone assertions are structured rows. Hardiness claim text appears in evidence claims and page-linked citations.
| Zone Min | Zone Max | Zone Text | Assertion Type | Outcome | Location | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No explicit zone assertion rows yet. | ||||||
No linked media assets.
| Document | Title/URL | Rights | Claims | Relationships | History Events | Pages | Snippets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 105 | Hardy fruits for Northern planting, trees, shrubs, 1937 | unknown | 10 | 0 | 0 | p15 | The page says it lasts a lifetime and that once tried, the grower will grow no other.; Its color when cooked without peeling is said to be as attractive as that of raspberries.; Particularly valuable for pies and dessert |
| 106 | Daniels planting guide, 1950 | unknown | 5 | 0 | 0 | p28 | Described as having heavy yield of large stalks.; Described as having good red color.; Recommended for planters wanting high quality, good red color, and heavy yield of large stalks.; Described as the finest of the large |
| Document | Page | Claim Type | Claim | Quote | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 105 | p15 | recommendation_context | The page says it lasts a lifetime and that once tried, the grower will grow no other. | MacDonald Red The New Red Rhubarb | page_block:0.90 |
| 105 | p15 | description_snippet | Its color when cooked without peeling is said to be as attractive as that of raspberries. | MacDonald Red The New Red Rhubarb | page_block:0.90 |
| 105 | p15 | culinary_use | Particularly valuable for pies and desserts. | MacDonald Red The New Red Rhubarb | page_block:0.90 |
| 105 | p15 | flavor_profile | Described as very tender and succulent, and of excellent quality. | MacDonald Red The New Red Rhubarb | page_block:0.90 |
| 105 | p15 | productivity | Described as productive and later said to yield heavily. | MacDonald Red The New Red Rhubarb | page_block:0.90 |
| 105 | p15 | fruit_size | Described as of large size. | MacDonald Red The New Red Rhubarb | page_block:0.90 |
| 105 | p15 | fruit_color | Described as a very highly colored, attractive red stalk. | MacDonald Red The New Red Rhubarb | page_block:0.90 |
| 105 | p15 | source_reference_abbreviation | Prof. L. G. Bunting of MacDonald College is quoted in describing the variety. | MacDonald Red The New Red Rhubarb | page_block:0.90 |
| 105 | p15 | selection_origin_reference | Originated at MacDonald College in Quebec, Canada. | MacDonald Red The New Red Rhubarb | page_block:0.90 |
| 105 | p15 | description_snippet | Presented as new Crimson streamlined MacDonald and as the last word in rhubarb. | MacDonald Red The New Red Rhubarb | page_block:0.90 |
| 106 | p28 | productivity | Described as having heavy yield of large stalks. | MacDONALD - The finest of the large stalked, high quality rhubarbs. | page_block:0.90 |
| 106 | p28 | fruit_color | Described as having good red color. | MacDONALD - The finest of the large stalked, high quality rhubarbs. | page_block:0.90 |
| 106 | p28 | recommendation_context | Recommended for planters wanting high quality, good red color, and heavy yield of large stalks. | MacDONALD - The finest of the large stalked, high quality rhubarbs. | page_block:0.90 |
| 106 | p28 | description_snippet | Described as the finest of the large-stalked, high-quality rhubarbs. | MacDONALD - The finest of the large stalked, high quality rhubarbs. | page_block:0.90 |
| 106 | p28 | taxon_context | Presented as a rhubarb cultivar. | MacDONALD - The finest of the large stalked, high quality rhubarbs. | page_block:0.90 |
| Year | Nursery | Catalog Issue | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| No catalog issue offerings linked. | |||
| Relation | Type | ID | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| No linked entities at this filter level. | |||
| Type | Claim | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| recommendation_context | The page says it lasts a lifetime and that once tried, the grower will grow no other. | 0.90 |
| description_snippet | Its color when cooked without peeling is said to be as attractive as that of raspberries. | 0.96 |
| culinary_use | Particularly valuable for pies and desserts. | 0.97 |
| flavor_profile | Described as very tender and succulent, and of excellent quality. | 0.96 |
| productivity | Described as productive and later said to yield heavily. | 0.97 |
| fruit_size | Described as of large size. | 0.95 |
| fruit_color | Described as a very highly colored, attractive red stalk. | 0.98 |
| source_reference_abbreviation | Prof. L. G. Bunting of MacDonald College is quoted in describing the variety. | 0.96 |
| selection_origin_reference | Originated at MacDonald College in Quebec, Canada. | 0.98 |
| description_snippet | Presented as new Crimson streamlined MacDonald and as the last word in rhubarb. | 0.92 |
| productivity | Described as having heavy yield of large stalks. | 0.92 |
| fruit_color | Described as having good red color. | 0.89 |
| recommendation_context | Recommended for planters wanting high quality, good red color, and heavy yield of large stalks. | 0.90 |
| description_snippet | Described as the finest of the large-stalked, high-quality rhubarbs. | 0.86 |
| taxon_context | Presented as a rhubarb cultivar. | 0.98 |
| ID | Type | Year | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| No history events. | |||