A short-day cultivar developed for west-central Florida to be an alternative to Sweet Charlie and producing high early-season yields of firm, attractive fruit. Origin: University of Florida, by Craig K. Chandler, Daniel E. Legard, Timothy E. Crocker, and Charles A. Sims. Rosa Linda × FL 93-53; cross made in1995; tested as FL 95-256; released in 2004. USPP 18,261; 4 Dec. 2007. Tree: compact habit with long, stiff pedicels that make fruit easy to harvest; yields during December can be twice that of Sweet Charlie; moderately resistant to botrytis fruit rot and Colletotrichum acutatum (anthracnose fruit rot). Fruit: mostly short to medium conic to wedge-shaped; deep red color, darker than Sweet Charlie and similar to Camarosa and Strawberry Festival; glossy; firm and juicy; not as flavorful as Camarosa, Sweet Charlie, or Strawberry Festival; produced from December through March.
Home