Name of Grower:

Nate Blackmore

Zone/Climate/Location:

9b, Coastal Influence Mediterranean Climate, Santa Cruz, California

Genus:

Eugenia

species:

involucrata cv. Orange

Common Name:

Orange Cherry of the Rio Grande

Variety or Seedling Provenance:

"Orange" seedling, Argentina

Cold Hardiness & Winter Damage:

Fairly winter hardy, no damage

Sun Exposure:

Full sun & Filtered Light

Growth Rate:

Seems relatively quicker than E. involucrata red phenotype.

Size of Plant:

~2' tall and 2' wide, others are larger and haven't flowered

Time to Maturity (Time to Flowering and Fruiting):

~3 years

Size at Maturity:

~1-1.5' tall

Fruit Size:

Smaller CORG sized fruit, decent seed to flesh ratio

Fruit Production (Quality, Quantity, etc.):

Really delicious fruit. More apricoty/pumpkiny than regular CORG. First flower: ~5 fruits. Second flower: ~20+ fruits

Notes on Fruit Harvest, Handling, Storage, Market Potential:

Not too sure on storage as they don't make it long off the plant. Doesn't seem to bruise as easily as regular CORG. Potentially capable of farmers market sales or used in value added products.

Flowering/Fruiting Period (List specific months if possible):

Late Spring Flowering and fruiting (Flowering May-Fruiting July) (2 mos flower to fruit), Fall Flowering (August/September-Oct/Nov)Winter flowering happening on other seedlings

Cultural Practice:

In the ground

Notes:

An exceptionally good fruit that is absolutely worth including in the garden. The tree seems like it will bear profuse amounts of fruit at maturity. The fruits may be smaller than some of the larger CORG selections but I think there is probably potential to select for larger fruit size. I am really happy to be growing this plant and can't wait for more of my seedlings to start fruiting, some began just going into winter. It seems as if seasonal variations can play a role in fruit size and development. The spring crop was somewhat larger in size than the fall crop. Most fruits tested around 15-20 brix with one outlier recording at 22 brix.