ILLINOIS
Tree medium in size and vigor, upright to spreading, hardy, very productive; trunk thick; branches stocky, smooth, dark reddish-brown overlaid by ash-gray; branchlets slender, short, with internodes dark red and olive-green, smooth, glabrous, with a few inconspicuous, raised lenticels variable in size.
Leaves five and one-half inches long, one and one-half inches wide, curled under at the tips, ovate-lanceolate, thin, leathery; upper surface dull, dark green, rugose along the midrib; lower surface olive-green; margin deeply and sharply serrate, the serrations often in two series, tipped with small glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless.
Flower-buds medium to large, obtuse or conical, plump, pubescent, appressed; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers variable in color, over one inch across, often in twos; pedicels short, greenish, glabrous; calyx-tube reddish-green, greenish-yellow within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes medium to broad, obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval, crenate, often broadly notched near the base, tapering to narrow claws with a tinge of red at the base; filaments one-half inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil pubescent at the base, as long as the stamens.
Fruit matures in early mid-season; two and one-fourth inches long, two and one-half inches wide, round-oblate, compressed, the halves usually unequal; cavity deep, abrupt, often tinged with red; suture shallow, deepening toward the apex; apex roundish, with a mucronate tip; color creamy-white, blushed with dull, dark red and mottled with splashes of brighter red; pubescence heavy; skin tough; flesh white, stained red near the pit, juicy, tender and melting, sweet; good in quality; stone semi-free to free, one and one-fourth inches long, fifteen-sixteenths inch wide, oval or obovate, not bulged, slightly elongated toward the base, plump, short-pointed at the apex, with grooved and pitted surfaces; ventral suture winged, of medium width, deeply grooved along the edges; dorsal suture deeply grooved.
IMPERIAL
1. La. Sta. Bul. 27:943. 1894. 2. Tex. Sta. Bul. 39:819. 1896. 3. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 22. 1897. 4. Ala. Sta. Bul. 117:305. 1901. 5. Fla. Sta. Bul. 73:148, Pls. 3 & 4. 1904. 6. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 37. 1909. 7. Ala. Sta. Bul. 156:133. 1911.
Of the several honey-flavored peaches fruiting on the Station grounds, Imperial is probably the best. The fruit is not easily distinguished in appearance from that of Climax, at least by those unfamiliar with southern peaches, and is also rather closely allied to Honey in outward character but has a somewhat distinct flavor in which it surpasses Climax and Honey. It differs from both, too, in time of ripening. The peaches of this, as of other honey-flavored sorts, drop badly as they mature. It is doubtful if we shall ever grow pure-bred peaches of the Honey type in New York for the markets, but Imperial, at least, is worth a place in every home orchard where it does not have to brave too great a degree of cold; and peach-breeders should seize the opportunity to cross it with our less richly flavored northern varieties.
Imperial is a seedling of Honey grown in 1890 by G. L. Taber, Glen Saint Mary, Florida. This variety has been much confused with White Imperial, a sort grown in New York many years ago but long since out of cultivation. Pomologists frequently list White Imperial as a synonym of Imperial, giving the origin as New York, when the variety in mind is the true Imperial of southern origin. Imperial was listed in the American Pomological Society's catalog in 1897 but was dropped in 1899. It appears again, however, in the Society's catalog in 1909 under the name Imperial with White Imperial incorrectly given as a synonym.
IMPERIAL
Tree medium in size or small, upright-spreading, round-topped, productive; trunk thick, rough; branches stocky, roughened, reddish-brown intermingled more or less with ash-gray; branchlets slender, often rebranching, long, with internodes dark pinkish-red mingled with varying shades of olive-green, and with conspicuous, numerous, raised lenticels.
Leaves six and one-fourth inches long, one and one-half inches wide, flattened, lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dull, dark green; lower surface olive-green; margin finely and shallowly serrate, tipped with glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, with one to four small, reniform glands usually at the base of the blade.
Flower-buds small, medium to short, conical or obtuse, pubescent, plump, usually appressed; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers medium in size, showy, light pink, usually single; pedicels medium in length and thickness, green; calyx-tube reddish-green, orange-green within, obconic; calyx-lobes acute or obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals roundish, tapering to claws tinged with red at the base; filaments equal to or shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent.
Fruit matures late; two and one-half inches long, two and three-sixteenths inches wide, oval, with unequal halves; cavity shallow, medium in width, flaring; suture very shallow, often indistinct toward the cavity; apex distinctly elongated; color pale green becoming whitish, with faint mottlings and with a distinct or faint blush; pubescence short, thick; skin tough, adhering to the pulp; flesh white, stained with red near the pit, juicy, fine-grained, tender and melting, very sweet and of a delightful flavor; very good to best; stone free, one and three-eighths inches long, thirteen-sixteenths inch wide, oval or ovate, not very plump, bulged at one side, long and pointed at the apex, with roughish and pitted surfaces, dark brown mingled with purplish-red; ventral suture rather narrow, often winged, deeply grooved along the edges; dorsal suture grooved.