The Marshall strawberry is a cultivated variety of ''
Fragaria ananassa'',
["Marshall strawberry: The Forgotten Flavor", Slow Food USA.org](_blank)
that is known for an "exceptional" taste
and had been described as "the finest eating strawberry" in America.
Origin
The variety was discovered by Marshall F. Ewell of
in 1890
and flourished in the
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...
throughout the early part of the 20th century, where it was an important crop in the region's berry industry. The Marshall, or a group of closely related "Marshall-type" varieties, was also grown under the names Banner, Oregon Plum, Pacific, Dewey, and Oregon Improved. A chance seedling, the variety's parentage was unknown, but according to
George M. Darrow George McMillan Darrow (1889–1983) was an American horticulturist and the foremost authority on strawberries. He worked for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA-ARS) for forty-six years as the pomologist in charge of research on ...
may have involved similar, now-lost 19th century varieties such as Burbach and President Wilder, both of which were descended from the Hovey.
The Marshall was, however, especially sensitive to virus diseases
[Scott, D. H. ''Strawberry varieties in the United States'', US DASEA, 1979, p.11] and its commercial qualities were particularly harmed by gradual degeneration by the
strawberry crinkle virus.
[''Station Bulletin'' of the Agricultural Experiment Station, Oregon State College, 345-359, 1936, p.47] This susceptibility to disease meant that by the 1950s it had largely been displaced by other cultivars.
Characteristics
The Marshall strawberry is a midseason variety. It has relatively large leaves and large, deep red fruit
[Darrow, ''The strawberry: its history, breeding and physiology'', 1966, p.143] with soft flesh.
While drought tolerant, as noted above it has a high susceptibility to the crinkle virus.
Despite modern perceptions of the Marshall as having the finest strawberry flavour, some early 20th century writers compared its flavour unfavourably to the strawberry varieties of the mid-19th century: "''We have few commercial varieties today that compare in quality with the Pines grown by the amateurs of that period. No modern sort has the exquisite flavor of Burr's New Pine, not even Marshall or William Belt, our acknowledged standards of excellence
..Quality has been sacrificed to productiveness and firmness''".
[Fletcher, ''The Strawberry in America'' 1917, p.174] At the time, the Marshall was perceived as a commercial "sub-acid" variety, albeit of high quality, whose mild flavour was particularly popular with the general consumer.
[Fletcher, p.173][Darrow, ''Strawberry Culture: South Atlantic and Gulf Coast Regions'', 1920, pp.20-22] It was especially valued as its fruit retained their colour and flavour, if not their texture, after freezing.
Contemporary status
The Marshall Strawberry is currently being maintained at the USDA
National Clonal Germplasm Repository The National Clonal Germplasm Repository is a branch of the
Agricultural Research Service research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Repository is a gene bank that preserves genetic resources by various means, inclu ...
in
Corvallis, Oregon, and by very few private growers.
["Marshall plan fails"](_blank)
''Portland Tribune
The ''Portland Tribune'' is a weekly newspaper published every Wednesday in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is part of the Pamplin Media Group, which publishes a number of community newspapers in the Portland metropolitan area. Launched in ...
'', July 10, 2007
Renewing America's Food Traditions, a coalition of sustainable agriculture organizations, listed the Marshall strawberry as one of "700 plant and animal foods at risk of extinction".
"Group publishes book listing endangered foods"
/ref>
References
External links
NCGR-Corvallis
Marshal cultivar information
*
{{Commons category, Marshall (strawberry)
Strawberry cultivars