Royal Ann cherry
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The Royal Ann or Royal Anne (also called ''Napoleon'', ''Napoleon Bigarreau'' and ''Queen Anne'') is a variety of
cherry A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The nam ...
, similar in appearance and taste to the '
Rainier cherry Rainier ( ) is a cultivar of cherry. It was developed in 1952 at Washington State University by Harold Fogle, and named after Mount Rainier. It is a cross between the 'Bing' and ' Van' cultivars. 'Rainiers' are considered a premium type of che ...
'.


Biology


About Royal Ann

Royal Ann cherry trees are perennial semi-dwarfs that bloom early April with harvest in mid-summer. They are deciduous trees that can be characterized by dark green leaves and clusters of small fragrant white flowers that are about 2.5-3 centimeters wide. Royal Ann flowers are
hermaphroditic In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes. Many taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrates) do not have separ ...
, containing both male and female reproductive organs, however, the tree cannot self-pollinate. Another pollinator species is necessary in order for fertilization to occur, most commonly bees. Each flower goes on to produce a single Royal Ann cherry. A mature fruit producing Royal Ann tree is about 12–15 feet in height. The trees prefer a half to full day of sun, and soil with good drainage. Royal Ann trees require a temperate climate, where the average winter temperature does not drop below 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Royal Ann cherries are fleshy stone fruits similar in size to most cherry varieties, and are yellow to light pink colored. Royal Ann fruits are often mistaken for Rainier cherries because of their similar appearance and taste. Trees produce fruit within 1–3 years after planting and are considered fully mature around 8 years old. Royal Ann trees can produce up to 50 pounds of cherries per season.


Nutrient content

Cherries are famous for containing high levels of
antioxidant Antioxidants are compounds that inhibit oxidation, a chemical reaction that can produce free radicals. This can lead to polymerization and other chain reactions. They are frequently added to industrial products, such as fuels and lubricant ...
s, which are substances that inhibit oxidation in living organisms. Sweet cherries, like the Royal Ann are also high in sugars, like
glucose Glucose is a simple sugar with the molecular formula . Glucose is overall the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. Glucose is mainly made by plants and most algae during photosynthesis from water and carbon dioxide, using ...
,
fructose Fructose, or fruit sugar, is a Ketose, ketonic monosaccharide, simple sugar found in many plants, where it is often bonded to glucose to form the disaccharide sucrose. It is one of the three dietary monosaccharides, along with glucose and galacto ...
,
sucrose Sucrose, a disaccharide, is a sugar composed of glucose and fructose subunits. It is produced naturally in plants and is the main constituent of white sugar. It has the molecular formula . For human consumption, sucrose is extracted and refined ...
, and
sorbitol Sorbitol (), less commonly known as glucitol (), is a sugar alcohol with a sweet taste which the human body metabolizes slowly. It can be obtained by reduction of glucose, which changes the converted aldehyde group (−CHO) to a primary alcohol g ...
. Organic acids in sweet cherries include malic, citric, shikimic, and fumaric. Stone fruits are known to contain toxic compounds that produce
hydrogen cyanide Hydrogen cyanide, sometimes called prussic acid, is a chemical compound with the formula HCN and structure . It is a colorless, extremely poisonous, and flammable liquid that boils slightly above room temperature, at . HCN is produced on an ...
, which is toxic or lethal in large doses. These compounds can be found in the bark, flowers, seeds, and leaves of cherry trees. Children have been poisoned in the past by eating or swallowing large amounts of seeds. Livestock have been killed by grazing on branches and leaves.


Domestication

It is thought that cherries first originated in Turkey, near the Black Sea. Cultivation has been credited to the Greeks who helped the fruit spread through the Roman Empire and to England, where cherry trees were used as a food source and also for timber. Sweet cherry trees were initially brought to the United States with the colonists in 1629. In 1847, Henderson Lewelling brought 700 fruit trees of ''Napoleon Bigarreau'' from Iowa to Oregon’s Willamette Valley to start a cherry orchard.
Seth Lewelling Seth Lewelling (1820 – February 21, 1896), alternatively spelled Luelling (including by Lewelling himself), was a pioneer orchardist from the U.S. state of Oregon, best known for developing the Bing cherry. Born in 1820 in North Carolina as ...
joined his brother Henderson in 1850, he renamed the tree 'Royal Ann'. Seth later developed the
Bing cherry Bing is a cultivar of the wild or sweet cherry (''Prunus avium'') that originated in the Pacific Northwest, in Milwaukie, Oregon, United States. The Bing remains a major cultivar in Oregon,Zebian, Maureen. (8/11/2011) "'Bing' Those Cherries On!" ...
.


Cultivation

Sweet cherry trees are labeled as being very delicate and finicky. They are not a popular choice for growing with hobby gardeners because they can be very time consuming. Tips for facilitating growth and harvesting include bending the branches. Sweet cherry trees grow vertically very quickly, as more nutrients from sunlight means a higher yield of fruits. However, the more vertical the tree is, the more foliage there is on the tree rather than fruit. By bending the branches at an angle of 30-60 degrees in relation to the trunk and anchoring them to the ground, the tree will produce more fruit and fewer leaves. Research findings show that bending branches slows the release of hormones coursing through the tree that are essential for fruit growth.


Pests, diseases, etc.

Birds are the most common pest of cherry trees, seeking the sweet fruits. Birds can be repelled by using netting to cover trees in an orchard or deploying flash tape to scare them away. Bacterial canker is a disease that can afflict all cherry trees, including Royal Ann trees. Signs of the disease include dead branches and brown colored damaged spots on branches or the trunk. Bacterial canker can be deterred by applying a copper spray to the trees in the fall and winter months. Another common problem is rain splitting. This happens when the cherries are near ripe, and full of nutrients. With an excess of water intake, the skin of the fruit can no longer hold all of the nutrients and fluids and bursts open.


Human use

Because of their firm and fleshy traits, Royal Ann cherries are ideal for home commercial and home canning. They’re often used for making pies, sauces, and jams because of their natural sweetness. Because Royal Ann cherries are so fragile, they make a great option for canning because the fruit is not being selected based on appearances as if it were freshly picked. Bruised Royal Ann cherries will taste the same mashed into a pie or in canned preserves. Royal Ann cherries are also the ideal variety used to make
maraschino cherries A maraschino cherry ( ) is a preserved, sweetened cherry, typically made from light-colored sweet cherries such as the Royal Ann, Rainier, or Gold varieties. In their modern form, the cherries are first preserved in a brine solution usual ...
for cocktails and dishes. Royal Ann cherries are also excellent and sweet eaten fresh on their own.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Ann Cherry Cherry cultivars