Cherry - Belle de Choisy

Cerasus Gondouini - Belle de Choisy Cherry

Born around 1760 in the royal gardens of Choisy, this exceptional cherry owes its existence to the patient work of Mr. Gondouin, gardener to Kings Louis XV and Louis XVI. This methodical man sowed every seed from the fruits served at the royal table and only grafted the resulting trees after their first fruiting. From this rigorous practice, the Belle de Choisy was born, considered by its contemporaries to be the best cherry of the season.

This rare variety is distinguished by its round fruits, 23 to 25 millimeters in diameter, hanging at the end of long, slender stems. Its thin, shiny, and translucent skin, initially amber yellow, takes on a delicate light red hue under the action of the sun, while fruits in the shade retain their golden color. The white or slightly reddish flesh beneath the skin contains an abundance of remarkably sweet juice. The tree, straight and slender, bears oval dark green leaves with a characteristic purplish-red petiole. The flowers, pure white when they open, turn pink as they fade, carried in groups of 4 to 6 on long divergent peduncles. Ripening in late June, this cherry was unavailable in Parisian markets due to its low production, reserved for the most refined tables.

This plate is taken from the Traité des Arbres Fruitiers by Poiteau and Turpin, a botanical encyclopedia published between 1807 and 1835, a major reference in 19th-century naturalistic illustration. It combines the rigor of scientific drawing with a rare artistic sensibility, characteristic of the great plates from the golden age of illustrated botany.