IDENTIFICATION OF CHERRY VARIETIES 13 



PART II. DUKE AND SOUR CHERRIES 



While it is true that the Dukes range from nearly sweet to almost sour in fruit 

 type, in the experience of the writer there is little danger of confusing Dukes with 

 sweet varieties in the nursery. In leaf characters and size of tree at least, they 

 seem to have greater similarity to the Sours than to the Sweets. For that reason 

 and because of their smaller number, the Dukes and Sours are considered together 

 in this section. 



The number of characters which have been found useful for identification and 

 the range of variability within these characters are in general considerably less 

 in Sours and Dukes than in Sweets. 



TREE CHARACTERS 



Habit of growth. Several of the Dukes are fairly upright, yet well-grown two- 

 year trees of Montmorency should be nearly as upright, while Early Richmond 

 should be spreading (Figure 10). Chase tends to be somewhat drooping. A few 

 varieties, such as Reine Hortense, have distinctly crooked shoots. 



Buds. Differences in size and form of bud are more pronounced than with 

 sweet cherries. Buds vary from small and blunt as in English Morello, medium 

 sized and rather pointed as in Montmorency, to large and sharp pointed as in 

 Reine Hortense (Figure 11). 



Bark Color. In most varieties, the bark color is a medium brown, yet Early 

 Richmond one-year bark is rather light brown and English Morello bark is tinged 

 with red, especially the younger bark on a growing shoot. There are few differ- 

 ences in color of the two-year trunk bark. 



Lenticels. The most useful difference in number and size of lenticels Is found 

 between Early Richmond and Montmorency. At the base of the branch on a 

 two-year Early Richmond tree there are numerous rather small lenticels, while 

 in the same position those of Montmorency are few and rather large (Figure 11). 

 The lenticels of most Sours and Dukes are more or less raised; however, those of 

 Suda are practically flush. 



LEAF CHARACTERS 



Leaf size varies from small as in Ostheim to fairly large as in Reine Hortense. 

 The shape of the blade maj^ be oval as in English Morello, elliptic as in Mont- 

 morency, or obovate as in Reine Hortense and Royal Duke frequently (Figure 12). 

 The leaf apex may have a short tip as in Royal Duke or a long acuminate one as in 

 Reine Hortense (Figure 1 2). There is no common variety of Duke or Sour cherry 

 with a cordate leaf base. The leaf surface ranges from fine, smooth, and dull as 

 in Ostheim, to pebbled or bullate and almost glossy as in Royal Duke, or somewhat 

 rugose as in Reine Hortense (Figure 12). Leaf color may be grayish green as in 

 English Morello, light yellowish green as in Ostheim, medium yellowish green as 

 in Early Richmond, or dark yellowish green as in Reine Hortense. There is 

 relatively little evidence of margin waving among the Dukes and practically none 

 among the Sours. While the variation in leaf folding is much less with these 

 types than with sweet varieties, V-folding in some degree occurs more frequently 

 than it does among the Sweets, perhaps because of the stifFer nature of the leaves 

 of Sours especially. Serrations may be fine, double crenate as in Montmorency; 

 fine, double, dull serrate as in Late Duke; fine, double serrate as in Olivet; or 

 rather coarse, double serrate, and irregular as in Reine Hortense (Figure 13). 

 Petioles vary from short and slender as in Ostheim to rather long and medium 



