Early Cherry - Botanical Print 50x70cm Fine Art

Cerasus propera - Early Cherry Tree

At the beginning of the 19th century, the Early Cherry Tree intrigued Parisian botanists. Duhamel du Monceau struggled to distinguish it from common cherry trees, while Le Berriays did not recognize it in the orchards of Nanterre and Poissy… where it nevertheless proliferated.

This confusion reveals a particularity: this cherry tree is cultivated only by suckers, never by grafting, otherwise it risks losing its legendary precocity and the delicacy of its fruits. A lesson learned the hard way by the gardeners of Colombes who tried to graft it.

A unique variety of common cherry tree, the Early Cherry Tree is distinguished by its dwarf habit, rarely more than 4 to 5 meters high, and its remarkable precocity.

Multiplied exclusively by root suckers, it forms small trees with flattened tops, short and robust branches, capable of producing as soon as they reach one meter in height.

Its cherries, a very bright red, round and slightly flattened at both ends, measure 23 to 25 millimeters in diameter. Initially tart, they acquire a perfect balance between sweetness and vivacity when ripe.

The fruit ripens in mid-June in the ground, making it one of the first cherries of the season. Widely cultivated around Paris (Puteaux, Neuilly, Courbevoie), this cherry tree requires warm, light soils to retain its exceptional qualities.

This plate is taken from Poiteau and Turpin's Traité des Arbres Fruitiers, a fruit encyclopedia published between 1807 and 1835, a major reference in 19th-century naturalist 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.

• Each poster is printed with 12-color giclée printing, the reference in art workshops for the reproduction of fine tones, subtle gradations, and the most delicate botanical details.
• 200 g/m² paper weight, soft matte finish, 0.26 mm thickness: a rendering close to the original engraving, clear, glare-free, designed for hanging.
• Printed on FSC certified paper, printed individually to order.
• Shipped in a rigid protective tube.