156 THE CHERRIES OF NEW YORK 



tree is hardy and its blossoming-time is late so that the variety is well 

 adapted to northern latitudes. 



The origin of this variety is unknown. In 1797, Christ mentions 

 " a true English cherry " which is probably Late Dtike. At least Ober- 

 dieck, in 1861, states that the true English cherry is identical with the Late 

 Duke, or Anglaise Tardive. In 1823, Late Duke was introduced into 

 England by the London Horticultural Society from M. Vilmorin, of Paris, 

 tmder the name Anglaise Tardive. Though the French name of this 

 variety seems to indicate an English origin, the old English writers were 

 not aware of any cherry of this kind being in existence in England previous 

 to its introduction by the Horticultural Society. Because of the close 

 resemblance of Late Dtike to May Duke it has often been confused with 

 that sort and by some writers was supposed to be a late strain of May 

 Duke. The American Pomological Society listed Late Duke in its fruit 

 catalog in 1862. 



Tree vigorous, upright-spreading, becoming spreading at maturity, open-topped, 

 productive; trtmk and branches slender; branches brown overlaid with dark ash-gray, 

 with numerous small lenticels; branchlets slender, short, reddish-brown, with ash-gray 

 scarf-skin, with numerous conspicuous, small, raised lenticels. 



Leaves numerous, three inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, folded upward, 

 obovate, thick; upper surface very dark green, smooth; lower surface light green, with 

 a few scattering hairs; apex abruptly pointed; margin doubly crenate, with small, dark 

 glands; petiole one inch long, lightly tinged with red, grooved and somewhat hairy on 

 the upper surface, glandless or with one or two small, reniform, greenish glands, usually 

 at the base of the blade. 



Buds small, short, obtuse or conical, plvunp, free, arranged singly and in clusters; 

 leaf -scars prominent; season of bloom late; flowers white, one inch across; borne in numer- 

 ous, dense clusters, in twos, threes and fours; pedicels one inch long, slender, glabrous, 

 green; calyx-tube reddish, campanulate; calyx-lobes broad, obtuse, serrate, reflexed; 

 petals roundish, entire, almost sessile; filaments one-fourth inch long; pistil glabrous, 

 equal to the stamens in length. 



Fruit matures very late; one inch in diameter, blunt-cordate, somewhat compressed; 

 cavity wide; suture shallow; color dark red; stem slender, one and one-half inches to two 

 inches long, deeply inserted; flesh amber-colored, with abundant juice, tender, rich, 

 sprightly subacid; stone semi-clinging, medium to large, roundish-ovate, compressed. 



