Strawberries and Cream Tree

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Strawberries and Cream Tree
Strawberries and Cream Tree.jpg
The Strawberries and Cream Tree in full bloom in April 2020, showing its distinctive pink and white blossoms.
Strawberries and Cream Tree
Species Wild cherry ( Prunus avium ) + Kanzan (P. serrulata 'Kanzan') graft hybrid
LocationRodney Road, Backwell, North Somerset, England
Coordinates 51°24′52.3″N02°44′42.2″W / 51.414528°N 2.745056°W / 51.414528; -2.745056
Date seededc. 1950s
Custodian North Somerset Council

The Strawberries and Cream Tree is a graft hybrid cherry tree (of Prunus avium and P. serrulata 'Kanzan') in Backwell, North Somerset, England. Planted on council land in the 1950s, it is noted for producing two distinct colours of blossom: pink blossom on one side of the tree and white on the other, when it blooms every spring. This gave rise to the name 'Strawberries and Cream Tree', which was coined by children of the village.

Contents

It is one of only two reported examples of cherry-Kanzan graft hybrid trees in England; the other being in Portchester, Hampshire. [1]

Botany

A sign adjacent to the tree outlines its botanical information. Strawberries and Cream Tree sign.jpg
A sign adjacent to the tree outlines its botanical information.

The Strawberries and Cream Tree is a native wild cherry tree ( Prunus avium ) grafted with Prunus 'Kanzan', an ornamental cherry variety from Japan. The wild cherry produces the white blossom, while the 'Kanzan' produces the pink blossom. [2] [3] The dual blossom gave rise to the name 'Strawberries and Cream Tree', coined by children of the village. [4]

Fruit trees tend to be grafted onto the rootstock of a hardier tree variety, usually to provide them with additional water and nutrients. In the case of the Strawberries and Cream tree, the rootstock grew along with the tree, creating a graft hybrid. [1] [5]

History

The Strawberries and Cream Tree was planted on public land which is now owned by North Somerset Council, on Rodney Road in the village of Backwell. [2] It is not known who originally planted and grafted the tree, [1] but it is believed to have been planted in the late 1950s. [2] [4] [5]

Tree preservation order

Due to its rarity, the Strawberries and Cream Tree was granted a six-month tree preservation order on 14 December 2019. The order prevents the cutting down, lopping or topping of the tree without prior permission from the council. [2] [5] The order may be made permanent in the future. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherry</span> Fruit of some plants of the genus Prunus

A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy drupe.

<i>Prunus</i> Genus of trees and shrubs

Prunus is a genus of trees and shrubs, which includes the fruits plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, and almonds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blossom</span> Flowers of stone fruit trees and of some other plants that flower in spring

In botany, blossoms are the flowers of stone fruit trees and of some other plants with a similar appearance that flower profusely for a period of time in spring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fruit tree propagation</span> Usually carried out vegetatively by grafting or budding a desired variety onto a suitable rootstock

Fruit tree propagation is usually carried out vegetatively (non-sexually) by grafting or budding a desired variety onto a suitable rootstock.

<i>Prunus cerasus</i> Species of tree

Prunus cerasus is a species of Prunus in the subgenus Cerasus (cherries), native to much of Europe, North Africa and West Asia. It is closely related to the sweet cherry, but has a fruit that is more acidic. Its sour pulp is edible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherry blossom</span> Blossom of the cherry tree

The cherry blossom, also known as a Japanese cherry or Sakura, is the flower of trees in the genus Prunus or the Prunus subgenus Cerasus. Wild species of the cherry tree are widely distributed, mainly in the Northern Hemisphere. They are common in East Asia, especially in Japan. They generally refer to ornamental cherry trees, not cherry trees grown for their fruit. The cherry blossom is considered the national flower of Japan.

<i>Prunus cerasifera</i> Species of plum

Prunus cerasifera is a species of plum known by the common names cherry plum and myrobalan plum. It is native to Southeast Europe and Western Asia, and is naturalised in the British Isles and scattered locations in North America. Also naturalized in parts of SE Australia where it is considered to be a mildly invasive weed of bushland near urban centers.

<i>Prunus serrulata</i> Species of tree

Prunus serrulata or Japanese cherry is a species of cherry tree that grows naturally in Japan, China, and Korea, and it also refers to a cultivar produced from Prunus speciosa, a cherry tree endemic in Japan. Historically, the Japanese have developed many cultivars by selective breeding of cherry trees, which are produced by the complicated crossing of several wild species, and they are used for ornamental purposes all over the world. Of these, the cultivars produced by complex interspecific hybrids based on the Oshima cherry are also known as the Cerasus Sato-zakura Group.

<i>Prunus emarginata</i> Species of tree

Prunus emarginata, the bitter cherry or Oregon cherry, is a species of Prunus native to western North America, from British Columbia south to Baja California, and east as far as western Wyoming and New Mexico. It is often found in recently disturbed areas or open woods on nutrient-rich soil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evans Cherry</span> Cherry cultivar

The Evans Cherry also sold under the name 'Bali', is a sour cherry cultivar rediscovered in an old orchard near Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and is significant because cherries were not considered viable in the harsh climate of the Canadian prairies, yet the specimen, discovered by Ieuan Evans, had been growing there since the 1920s. Grown on its own rootstock and self-pollinating, the Evans Cherry displays white blossoms in spring and bears abundant fruit.

<i>Prunus <span style="font-style:normal;">×</span> yedoensis</i> Hybrid species of tree

Prunus × yedoensis is a hybrid cherry tree between Prunus speciosa as father plant and Prunus pendula f. ascendens as mother. It is a hybrid born in Japan and one of its cultivars, Prunus × yedoensis 'Somei-yoshino' or Yoshino cherry, is one of the most popular and widely planted cherry cultivars in temperate regions around the world today. 'Somei-yoshino' is a clone from a single tree, and has been propagated by grafting all over the world. 'Somei-yoshino' inherits Edo higan's quality of blooming before the leaves unfold and it growing into a large-sized tree. It also inherits the characteristics of the Oshima cherry, which grows rapidly and has white flowers. These characteristics are favored and have become one of the most popular cultivars of cherry trees.

<i>Prunus speciosa</i> Species of tree

Prunus speciosa, the Oshima cherry, Japanese オオシマザクラ, is native to Izu Ōshima island and the Izu Peninsula on Honshū near Tokyo, Japan.

<i>Prunus itosakura</i> Species of tree

Prunus itosakura, Prunus subhirtella or Edo higan, is the scientific name for one of the wild species of cherry trees native to Japan, and is also the name given to the cultivars derived from this species. Itosakura means thread cherry, and appeared in historical documents from the Heian period in Japan. The scientific name for the hybrid between this species and Prunus incisa is Prunus × subhirtella. Historically, the Japanese have produced many cultivars from this wild species, and they are also called weeping cherry, autumn cherry, or winter-flowering cherry, because of the characteristics of each cultivar.

<i>Prunus fruticosa</i> Species of plant

Prunus fruticosa, the European dwarf cherry, dwarf cherry, Mongolian cherry or steppe cherry is a deciduous, xerophytic, winter-hardy, cherry-bearing shrub. It is also called ground cherry and European ground cherry, but is not to be confused with plants in the distinct "Groundcherry" genus of Physalis.

<i>Prunus avium</i> Species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae

Prunus avium, commonly called wild cherry, sweet cherry, gean, or bird cherry is a species of cherry, a flowering plant in the rose family, Rosaceae. It is native to Europe, Anatolia, Maghreb, and Western Asia, from the British Isles south to Morocco and Tunisia, north to the Trondheimsfjord region in Norway and east to the Caucasus and northern Iran, with a small isolated population in the western Himalaya. The species is widely cultivated in other regions and has become naturalized in North America and Australia.

<i>Prunus nipponica</i> Shrub originating in Hokkaido and Honshu

Prunus nipponica, also called Japanese alpine cherry, is a shrub which originates from the islands of Hokkaido and Honshu, Japan. It grows to a height of about 5 meters (16 ft) and can grow in sandy, loamy, and clay soils.

<i>Prunus</i> Kanzan Japanese Flowering Cherry Cultivar

Prunus 'Kanzan' is a flowering cherry cultivar. It was developed in the Edo period in Japan as a result of multiple interspecific hybrids based on the Oshima cherry.

<i>Prunus pseudocerasus</i> Species of tree

Prunus pseudocerasus or Prunus pseudo-cerasus, the Chinese sour cherry or just Chinese cherry, is a species of cherry native to China and is used worldwide as an ornamental for its early spring cherry blossoms. The fruits of some cultivars are edible.

<i>Prunus canescens</i> Species of tree

Prunus canescens, the gray-leaf cherry, is a species of cherry native to China, found in Hubei and Sichuan provinces. A shrubby tree, it grows to about 3 m. It is a parent of a number of hybrid rootstocks for sweet cherries, and occasionally grown as an ornamental for its attractive shiny brown bark.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Robinson, Sarah (28 May 2018). "One tree, two types of blossom – Backwell's 'rare' hybrid". North Somerset Times. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Somerset 'strawberries and cream' tree granted temporary protection". BBC News . 14 December 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  3. Johnston, Eddie (19 June 2023). "Putting in the hard graft". Kew. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Cherry unusual tree blooms pink and white". Metro . 14 April 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 Newnham, Gareth (14 December 2019). "Council gives beloved strawberries and cream tree protected status". North Somerset Times. Retrieved 24 April 2020.