Stella cherry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Stella cherry |
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| Genus | Prunus |
| Species | Prunus avium |
| Hybrid parentage | Lambert × John Innes Seedling 2420 |
| Cultivar | Stella |
| Breeder | K. O. Lapins |
| Origin | Summerland, British Columbia, Canada |
The Stella cherry is a special type of cherry tree. It was first grown in British Columbia, Canada. Stella is famous because it was the very first sweet cherry that could pollinate itself. This means it doesn't need another cherry tree nearby to grow fruit! It has even won an award called the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
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How the Stella Cherry Was Created
The Stella cherry came from a special plant breeding program. This program was at the John Innes Institute in Norwich, England. Scientists there found three cherry seedlings that could pollinate themselves. They wanted to use these to create new, high-quality cherry trees.
One of these special seedlings was crossed with another cherry type called Lambert. This happened in 1956 at the Summerland Research Station in Summerland, British Columbia. A scientist named K. O. Lapins did this work. He also has another famous cherry, the Lapins cherry, named after him! The new cherry tree that resulted was named "Stella" in 1968. Since then, Stella has been used to create other new cherry types, like the Chelan cherry.
What Does a Stella Cherry Tree Look Like?
A Stella cherry tree usually grows in a shape like a vase. When it's fully grown, it can be about 20 to 30 feet tall. Its branches can spread out about 15 feet wide.
This tree blooms its flowers early in the spring. It also produces its fruit early in the season. Stella trees usually give a good amount of cherries, sometimes even a lot! Even though it can help pollinate many other sweet cherry types, it might not pollinate the Bing cherry in some places. Stella cherry trees grow well in many areas. These areas are called USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 8.
What Are Stella Cherries Like?
The fruit from the Stella cherry tree is quite big. It has a heart shape and a deep red color. People think Stella cherries are very good quality. They are usually ready to pick about one week before Bing cherries.
Meet the Compact Stella Cherry
Scientists also created a smaller version of the Stella cherry. This happened in 1964 at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York. They used a special method with X-rays to make the changes.
This smaller tree is called "Compact Stella." It grows to be about half the size of a regular Stella tree. But it still has all the great qualities of the original Stella. It can still pollinate itself, and it produces fruit early and heavily. The "Compact Stella" was officially named in 1973.
