Skeena cherry facts for kids

The Skeena is a special type of cherry that was first grown in Canada. It's known for being a delicious, firm, and juicy cherry that ripens later in the season. A "cultivar" is like a specific variety of a plant that people have grown on purpose to have certain good qualities.

How the Skeena Cherry Was Created

The Skeena cherry didn't just grow wild; it was carefully created by scientists! It's a "hybrid," which means it's a mix of two different cherry types. Think of it like mixing two different colors to get a new one.

The scientists mixed two parent cherry plants, which were themselves hybrids of other well-known cherries. One parent was a mix of the Van and Stella varieties. The other parent was a mix of the Bing and Stella cherries.

This special mixing happened in 1976 at the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre in Summerland, British Columbia, Canada. The main goal was to create a high-quality cherry that would ripen later in the summer, about two weeks after the Van cherry. After years of growing and checking, the best new cherry, which became Skeena, was chosen in 1984.

What Skeena Cherry Trees Are Like

Skeena cherry trees are strong and grow quite wide, like they are spreading their branches out. They have a good number of flowers, which later turn into cherries!

One cool thing about Skeena trees is that they are easier to manage than some other cherry types, like the Lapins variety. This means they are simpler for farmers to prune and take care of.

Just like its Stella parent, the Skeena cherry tree is "self-fertile." This is a big deal because it means the tree can produce fruit all by itself, without needing pollen from another type of cherry tree nearby. It blooms, or flowers, about 4 to 5 days later than the Bing cherry.

What Skeena Cherries Are Like

Skeena cherries are known as a "late-season" cherry. This means they ripen later in the summer, usually about 12 to 15 days after the popular Bing cherry.

The fruits themselves are big and very firm. They have a dark red inside and their skin can be dark red or even black. They are also quite resistant to cracking, which is a common problem for cherries, especially if it rains a lot when they are ripening. This makes them great for picking and shipping.

However, if it gets super hot for many days in a row, the cherries can sometimes have problems after they are picked. But generally, they are a strong and tasty cherry!