Lapins cherry

Lapins cherry
flowers of a Lapins cherry tree
Genus	Prunus
Species	Prunus avium
Hybrid parentage	Van × Stella
Cultivar	Lapins
Breeder	K. O. Lapins
Origin	Summerland, British Columbia, Canada

Lapins (also marketed as Cherokee)[1] is a cultivar of cherry. It is a hybrid of the Van and Stella cultivars.[2] It has been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[3]

Cultivar history

The Lapins cultivar was developed in Summerland, British Columbia at the Summerland Research Station.[4] It was one of the varieties developed by the agronomist Karlis O. Lapins (Lapiņš), a native of Latvia who did pioneering work in the development of self-fertile cherry cultivars. Though the cultivar was not released until 1983, years after his retirement, it was named in his honor.[2]

Tree characteristics

The Lapins cherry tree grows to 2.5 to 4 meters tall, with a 2.5 to 4 meters spread.[1] It has dense, green foliage and a branch structure conducive to heavy yields.[5] Like its parent variety Stella, the Lapins cherry is self-fertile and an excellent pollinator for other cherry varieties.[5]

Fruit characteristics

The fruit of the Lapins cultivar is regarded as very high quality. It turns deep red well before it is ready to pick,[6] and unlike some varieties it is sweet while still red.[5] Lapins is a late-season cherry, ripening about 2 weeks later than the Bing cherry.[4] They are noted for having good split resistance.[7]

References

1. "Prunus avium 'Lapins' (F) | cherry (sweet) 'Lapins'/RHS Gardening". rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
2. "Last Bite–From refugee to cherry breeder | Good Fruit Grower". goodfruit.com. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
3. Award of Garden Merit Plants - Fruits and Vegetables
4. "Foundation Plant Services Prunus Encyclopedia". fps.ucdavis.edu. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
5. "Lapins and Sunburst Sweet Cherry" Canadian Journal of Plant Science 64:211-216 (Jan. 1984)
6. Lynn E. Long; Roberto Núñez-Elisea; Helen Cahn. "Five Most Important Attributes of Sweet Cherries and the Varieties that Fill These Needs". Retrieved 2021-05-22.
7. "Cherry Tree Varieties". www.ornamental-trees.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-06-05.