BLACK HEART
Prunus avium
- 1. Rea Flora 205. 1676. 2. Prince Pom. Man. 2:115. 1832. 3. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 169 fig. 1845. 4. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 195. 1854. 5. Thompson Gard. Ass't 526. 1859. 6. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 74. 1862.
- Guignier à Fruit Noir. 7. Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. 1:158, 159, 160, Pl. 1 fig. 1. 1768.
- Frühe Schwarze Herzkirsche. 8. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 116-119. 1819. 9. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 340, 349. 1889.
- Guigne Noire Ancienne. 10. Mortillet Le Cerisier 2:66 fig. 7, 67, 68. 1866.
- Bigarreau Noir d'Espagne. 11. Leroy Dict. Pom. 5:223 fig., 224. 1877.
Although one of the oldest cherries under cultivation, Black Heart is still largely grown the world over. Prince, in 1832, said that it was more widely cultivated in the United States than any other variety and Downing, in 1845, said Black Heart was then better known than any other cherry in the country. While neither of these two statements would hold for Black Heart now, it having long since passed its heyday of popularity, it is still, because of the fruitfulness of the tree and the high quality and beauty of the fruit, a variety of much merit. Black Heart fails in the commercial fruit growing of nowadays, as compared with the cherry culture of the fruit connoisseurs of a generation ago, because it does not meet market demands, failing to do so through two defects: it does not ship well and when brown-rot is rife it quickly succumbs to this fungus. It is, too, now difficult to obtain the variety true to name, the trees at this Station, as an example, in several attempts, turning out untrue, which forces the use of a compiled description in this text.
This cherry was mentioned by John Rea in 1676 but there can be no doubt but that it originated many years previous to this date. Probably it is the cherry mentioned by Robert Dodonée, a naturalist of Malines, Belgium, in 1552. When or by whom it was introduced to America is not known but it was being grown here very early in the Nineteenth Century and ever since has been considered a valuable variety for general planting. Nearly every nurseryman throughout the United States lists Black Heart, a fact attesting its popularity. The American Pomological Society placed Black Heart on its catalog of fruits in 1862, a place which it has since retained.
Tree large, very vigorous, tall, wide-spreading, productive; branches stout, brownish, mingled with yellow, mottled with gray scarf-skin; lenticels numerous, small.
Leaves very large, oblong, waved, acuminate, nearly flat; upper surface dark green; margin deeply and coarsely serrate; petiole of medium length, lightly tinged with red, with greenish glands.
Buds large, oval, pointed; season of bloom early or very early; flowers medium in size; petals roundish, imbricated.
Fruit matures early, season long; large, obtuse-cordate, somewhat compressed; cavity broad; suture deep; surface somewhat irregular; color dark purple becoming black; stem one and three-fourths inches long, slender; skin slightly shrivelled; flesh dark red, firm to very firm becoming tender at full maturity, with abundant colored juice, sweet; good in quality; stone large, roundish-ovate; dorsal suture deep.