Origin: in Red Bluff, Calif., by Grant Merrill. Introd. in 1954. Plant patent 1409; 9 Aug. 1955; assigned to Grant Merrill Orchards. July Elberta × Merrill Gem; selected in 1952; tested as Merricle 27-24. Tree: blooms and sets more heavily than Merrill Gem; leaf glands reniform; flowers medium size to small, pink. Fruit: large; skin red; flesh yellow, when held until soft, meaty to melting and freestone; when firm ripe, has the firmness of Merrill Gem; resembles Merrill Gem; ripens a few days later than Cardinal and a few days earlier than Merrill Gem.
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