The Montmorency cherry (also known as the ''Common red Kentish'') is a cultivar of

sour cherry ''Prunus cerasus'' (sour cherry, tart cherry, or dwarf cherry) is an Old World species of ''Prunus'' in the subgenus ''Prunus subg. Cerasus, Cerasus'' (cherries). It has two main groups of cultivars: the dark-red Morello cherry and the lighter- ...

(''Prunus cerasus''). It is the most popular variety in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. The cherries are recommended for fresh consumption and for preserves. However, the main use is for processing, often for

cherry pie Cherry pie is a pie baked with a cherry filling. Traditionally, it is made with sour cherries rather than sweet cherries. Sour Cherry, Morello cherries are one of the most common kinds of cherry used, but other varieties such as the black cherr ...

s, jams and preserves. Dried fruit,

juice Juice is a drink made from the extraction or Cold-pressed juice, pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat ...

, juice concentrate and

Kirsch ''Kirschwasser'' (, , ; German for 'cherry water'), or just ''Kirsch'' (; the term used in Switzerland and France, less so in Germany), is a clear, colourless brandy from Germany, Switzerland, and France, traditionally made from double distill ...

are also available. It is considered part of the lighter-red Amarelle group of sour cherries cultivars, rather than the darker-red Morello cultivars. There are several

sports Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...

in cultivation. The tree is named for Montmorency, a suburb of Paris,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Description

The tree is susceptible to

cherry leaf spot Cherry leaf spot (''Blumeriella jaapii'') is a fungal disease which infects cherries and plums. Sweet, sour, and ornamental cherries are susceptible to the disease, being most prevalent in sour cherries. The variety of sour cherries that is t ...

. It yields rather steadily, mainly on annual wood. The large fruits ripen late. They have a very thin skin of a bright red color (although some trees produce a darker red fruit). The flesh is tender with a particular sweetness and consistency and colorless, slightly tart juice.

Economic significance

Notable cultivation areas are or were

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...

in France,

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

in Canada,

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

and

Door County, Wisconsin Door County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, its population was 30,066. Its seat of government is Sturgeon Bay. It is named after the strait between the Door Peninsula and Washington Island. ...

in the USA, and parts of Indian-administered

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

. Michigan produces around 90,000 tons each year (2012, 2022), primarily in the

Grand Traverse Bay Grand Traverse Bay ( ) is an arm of Lake Michigan, located along the west coast of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The bay is separated from the rest of Lake Michigan by the Leelanau Peninsula. The bay is some long, ranges from wide, and up ...

region. They grossed about US$0.45 per kilo in 2022.

History

A book from 1690 describes the Montmorency cherry and mentions two varieties: one with long stems and one with short stems, with otherwise similar characteristics, but with the latter enjoying more appreciation. It has been cultivated in the vicinity of the Montmorency forest since the 18th century. The communes of

Soisy-sous-Montmorency Soisy-sous-Montmorency (, 'Soisy under Montmorency') is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department located north of Paris, France. History On 7 August 1850, a part of the territory of Soisy-sous-Montmorency was detached and merged with a part of ...

and Saint-Prix are among the last places where it is still grown. At the end of the 18th century,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

received 7,000 to 8,000 basketfuls of cherries from the Montmorency valley each day. Cherries from this origin and from the hills of

Meudon Meudon () is a French Communes of France, commune located in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region, on the left bank of the Seine. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of P ...

were highly prized by the nobility. However, overharvesting of the trees led to a gradual decline of the variety. The tree came to the United States via England and has been cultivated in the United States since at least the early 20th century. A complete sequenced

genome A genome is all the genetic information of an organism. It consists of nucleotide sequences of DNA (or RNA in RNA viruses). The nuclear genome includes protein-coding genes and non-coding genes, other functional regions of the genome such as ...

was published in 2023.

References

{{Cherries Cherry cultivars Sour cherries Sour fruits

Description

Economic significance

History

See also

References