The garden's living archive

Fragaria × ananassa, the cultivated strawberry, a hybrid of garden origin between two American species, F. virginiana (North America) and F. chiloensis (Chile). The wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca), native to woods and hedges, gives smaller but very fragrant fruits. Sources: Plants For A Future, “Fragaria x ananassa” and “Fragaria vesca”; Tela Botanica, “Fragaria vesca L.” (Coste's flora).

Rubus idaeus, native to Europe's mountain forests. Non-everbearing varieties (Malling Promise, June-July) or everbearing (Heritage, Polka, Sumo, spread harvest June to October). Rich in vitamin C, ellagitannins (antioxidant polyphenols). Dried leaves in a traditional infusion (reputed a uterine tonic, avoid in early pregnancy).

Ribes rubrum (redcurrant, red or white) and Ribes nigrum (blackcurrant, cassis in French) are two different species. Wild in the woods of north-eastern France, both are widely grown. Sources: Tela Botanica, “Ribes rubrum L.” and “Ribes nigrum L.” (Coste's flora); Plants For A Future, “Ribes rubrum” and “Ribes nigrum”.

Ribes nigrum, the black berry emblematic of Burgundy (Crème de cassis, kir). Varieties: Noir de Bourgogne (the classic for the liqueur), Andega (yield), Tinker (late production). Rich in vitamin C (approx. 180 mg/100 g, 3-4× the orange), anthocyanins. Dried leaves in an infusion. Sources: Ciqual table (ANSES) for the fruit figures; EMA/HMPC, Ribes nigrum L., folium monograph (2010, revision 1 2017) for the leaf's use in infusion.

An old soft fruit, very popular in England and Northern Europe where it gave rise to horticultural competitions from the 19th century (the Lancashire 'gooseberry clubs'). Large fruits (1 to 3 cm) green, yellow, or red depending on variety, sweet at full ripeness. Harvest from June to August. Short keeping when fresh: turn it quickly into jam, jelly, tart, or syrup. Source: François Couplan, Le régal végétal, Sang de la Terre, 2009; Royal Horticultural Society fact sheets (Ribes uva-crispa).

A subshrub of woods and heaths on siliceous mountains (Vaccinium myrtillus, Ericaceae family), with small deciduous leaves and blue-black berries. Like the other Ericaceae (heather, rhododendron), it demands a very acid soil (pH 4.5 to 6) and yellows where there is lime. Its flowers are pollinated by bees, flies and butterflies; sources disagree on whether it is self-fertile, hence the advice to plant several. Sources: Tela Botanica, “Vaccinium myrtillus L.” (Coste's flora); Plants For A Future, “Vaccinium myrtillus”.

Queen of the temperate orchards, the apple tree (Malus domestica, Rosaceae) descends mainly from a wild apple of Central Asia (Malus sieversii), with a large contribution from the European wild apple (Malus sylvestris). To fruit well, it almost always needs another variety flowering at the same time. Sources: Cornille A. et al. (2012), “New insight into the history of domesticated apple: secondary contribution of the European wild apple to the genome of cultivated varieties”, PLoS Genetics 8(5):e1002703; RHS, “Fruit basics – fruit pollination”.

Pyrus communis, a pear of hedges and lowland woods, grown for its fruit. Another variety flowering at the same time ensures pollination. Pears are picked firm, just before they are ripe, then finish ripening indoors, sometimes a month or more depending on the variety. Sources: Tela Botanica, “Pyrus communis L.” (Coste's flora); RHS, “How to grow pears” and “Fruit basics – fruit pollination”.

Prunus avium (wild and sweet cherry) and Prunus cerasus (sour cherry, morello) are two distinct species: the wild cherry is native, the sour cherry came from western Asia. Sources: Tela Botanica, “Prunus avium (L.) L.” and “Prunus cerasus L.” (Baseflor); Plants For A Future, “Prunus avium” and “Prunus cerasus”.

Prunus domestica, an old European species with many regional varieties: Mirabelle de Lorraine (AOC), Reine-Claude dorée, Quetsche d'Alsace, Pruneau d'Agen. Harvest spread July to September by variety. Excellent keeping as dried prunes (Agen) or eaux-de-vie. Rich in sorbitol, fibre, and potassium.

A round plum (Prunus domestica), with melting, very sweet flesh. Its name pays tribute to Claude of France, wife of François I, in the 16th century. It is eaten fresh, in compote or jam, and plums yield an eau-de-vie by distillation. Sources: Tela Botanica, “Prunus domestica L.” (Coste's flora); Plants For A Future, “Prunus domestica”; Wikipédia, “Claude de France (1499-1524)”.

Prunus persica, a Rosaceae from Asia, in the same genus as the almond, grown for its juicy fruits. It succeeds in loamy soil, even on chalk, but its March-April flowering, which comes before the leaves, fears spring frosts: a spot sheltered from north winds helps. Sources: Tela Botanica, “Prunus persica (L.) Batsch” (Coste's flora, under the name Persica vulgaris; Baseflor); Plants For A Future, “Prunus persica”.

Ficus carica, one of the oldest domesticated fruit trees (Jordan Valley, 11,400 years, Kislev et al. 2006, Science). Biferous varieties (two harvests: breba figs in June, autumn figs in August-September): Bourjassotte Noire, Goutte d'Or. Uniferous varieties (single autumn harvest): Sultane Noire, Dauphine. Excellent keeping as dried figs. Source: Pierre Baud, Le figuier, Édisud (2008), the French reference.

Vitis vinifera, a liana whose wild form still grows in the sheltered woods of the South of France, grown in almost all of France. Grape varieties resistant to downy and powdery mildew greatly reduce spraying: in 2018 INRAE registered Artaban, Vidoc, Floreal and Voltis, which save 80 to 90% of fungicide treatments. Sources: Tela Botanica, “Vitis vinifera L.” (Coste's flora); INRAE, “L'Inra obtient l'inscription au catalogue de quatre variétés sélectionnées pour la viticulture durable” (2018).

Corylus avellana, a native shrub of woods and ravines, of which large-fruited races are grown. Its hazelnuts, rich in oil, keep for at least a year in a cool place in their shells. Sources: Tela Botanica, “Corylus avellana L.” (Coste's flora); Plants For A Future, “Corylus avellana”.

A large tree with a broad crown (Juglans regia, Juglandaceae family), grown for its nuts and its precious wood. Monoecious, it bears male catkins and discreet wind-pollinated female flowers, and its compound leaves are aromatic. Sources: Tela Botanica, “Juglans regia L.” (Coste's flora); Plants For A Future, “Juglans regia”.

Castanea sativa, a tree of woods on siliceous low mountains, grown for its fruit and its wood (joinery, cooperage). In the Ardèche, in the 17th and 18th centuries, it became 'the bread tree' and the chestnut a staple food; dried, it is ground into flour. Sources: Tela Botanica, “Castanea sativa Mill.” (Coste's flora); INAO, specification of the designation of origin “Châtaigne d'Ardèche” (2013); Plants For A Future, “Castanea sativa”.

Three species: White mulberry (Morus alba), the one that feeds the silkworm in sericulture, sweet white-pink fruit; Black mulberry (Morus nigra), intensely fragrant black fruit; Red mulberry (Morus rubra), a North American species. Not to be confused with the bramble/blackberry (Rubus fruticosus), another family (Rosaceae vs Moraceae). Source: Couplan, Le régal végétal.

Prunus dulcis (syn. P. amygdalus), a Rosaceae from western Asia, grown and often naturalised in the South of France. Its white or pinkish flowering, spectacular but very early (from February), exposes it to late frosts, which limits its cultivation outside the South. Sources: Tela Botanica, “Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D.A.Webb” (Coste's flora, under the name Amygdalus communis; Baseflor); Plants For A Future, “Prunus dulcis”.

Actinidia deliciosa (the fuzzy-skinned kiwi) and A. arguta (the kiwai, with small smooth fruits eaten without peeling), lianas of East Asia (China, Japan). The kiwi fruit is rich in vitamin C. Sources: Plants For A Future, “Actinidia deliciosa” and “Actinidia arguta”; Tela Botanica, “Actinidia deliciosa (A.Chev.) C.F.Liang & A.R.Ferguson” (Baseflor).

Prunus armeniaca, a Rosaceae from Central Asia, grown for its fragrant fruits. Its very early flowering, from February, exposes it to late-winter frosts that often destroy its flowers: the harvest depends on each year's weather. Sources: Tela Botanica, “Prunus armeniaca L.” (Coste's flora, under the name Armeniaca vulgaris; Baseflor); Plants For A Future, “Prunus armeniaca”.

Prunus tomentosa, a small shrubby cherry about 1.5 m tall ('Nanking cherry'), from East Asia, from northern and western China to the Himalayas. It flowers from March-April and gives small juicy cherries, sharp to sweet, in July. Source: Plants For A Future, “Prunus tomentosa”.

Hippophae rhamnoides, a thorny Elaeagnaceae of dunes and damp sands (Channel coast, Rhône valley), with leaves silvery underneath. A nitrogen fixer and a fruit plant at once. Sources: Tela Botanica, “Hippophae rhamnoides L.” (Coste's flora); Plants For A Future, “Hippophae rhamnoides”.

Cydonia oblonga, a Rosaceae of western Asia (Asia Minor, Caucasus) grown for more than two thousand years for its downy quinces, very fragrant when ripe. Undemanding, it succeeds in most soils. Sources: Tela Botanica, “Cydonia oblonga Mill.” (Coste's flora, under the name Cydonia vulgaris); Plants For A Future, “Cydonia oblonga”.