Prunus avium L. ‘Black Heart’

The Tradescants were 17th century gardeners who introduced many new plants to England. More than 160 varieties of fruit were listed amongst the inventory of plants grown at the Tradescants nursery in Lambeth, many of which are illustrated in the Orchard. The Garden Museum invited 40 of the worlds leading botanical artists to paint watercolours of fruit in response to the Orchard.

This small, almost black cherry has a slightly bumpy surface yielding many highlights on its shiny skin. The dark red flesh is deliciously rich, sweet and succulent, with plenty of very dark purple-red juice, generously staining lips, fingers and clothing. It is no longer grown commercially, as the fruit is small and bruises easily. In his illustrations, Tradescants’ several heart (or Harte) cherry varieties are shown very pointed at the base, with a deep dip for the stalk, qualities he exaggerated to distinguish hartes from spherical types such as the Naples cherry.