Nowhere else in America, possibly nowhere else in the world, can the Sweet Cherry be grown as well as in Oregon and Washington. From these States, more particularly Oregon, several meritorious cherries have been added to pomology. One of the best of these is Lambert, now a standard sort in its native State but stir on probation in Eastern America. Lambert is a Biggareau, a seedling of Napoleon by Black Heart, and a worthy rival of its parents in most respects and superior in some. In appearance, Lambert is more like its male than its female parent, having much the same shape and color, but it is larger, more rotund, smoother, clearer and brighter one of the handsomest of the dark-colored Sweets. The flesh and flavor leave little to be desired; the flesh is purplish-red marbled with lighter red, firm, meaty and juicy, with a sweet, rich flavor that at the first taste one marks very good. The tree is strong, vigorous, healthy and usually fruitful and regular in bearing. The fruit sets in great, loose clusters often a dozen or more cherries to the fruit-spur. The leaves are remarkably large and dark green, the foliage betokening the vigor of the variety. Lambert is well worthy thorough testing for either home or market wherever the Sweet Cherry can be grown. Lambert originated as a seedling under a Napoleon tree which was planted by the late Henderson Lewelling about 1848 in the orchard of J.H. Lambert, Milwaukee, Oregon. This seedling, supposed to have been a cross between Napoleon and Black Heart, was grafted to May Duke and later transplanted. About 1880, the top died and a sprout from the seedling stock formed a new top. Mr. Lambert gave the new variety his name and in 1895 turned over his stock to the Oregon Horticultural Society with the exclusive right to propagate. The variety was placed on the fruit list of the American Pomological Society in 1899 where it still remains.
Tree medium to large in size and vigor, upright-spreading, very productive; branches smooth, dull reddish-brown, with numerous small lenticels; branchlets thick, long, dark reddish-brown nearly covered with ash-gray, smooth, glabrous, with a few inconspicuous lenticels.
Leaves four and one-fourth inches long, two and one-half inches wide, folded upward, oval to obovate, thin; upper surface medium green, smooth; lower surface light green, lightly pubescent; apex acute, base abrupt; margin doubly serrate, glandular; petiole one and one-half inches long, dull red, glandlar, or with from one to three rather small, globose, reddish glands on the stalk.
Buds large, pointed or conical, free, arranged singly as lateral buds or in small clusters on short spurs; leaf-scars prominent; season of bloom intermediate, short; flowers one and one-fourth inches across, white; borne usually in twos; pedicels three-fourths of an inch long, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes long, broad, obtuse, finely serrate; petals roundish, entire, with short claws and with dentate apex; filaments one-half inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit matures in mid-season; one inch in diameter, roundish-cordate, compressed; cavity rather deep, slightly flaring; suture shallow, often a mere line; apex roundish, depressed at the center; color very dark red changing to reddish-black; dots numerous, small, russet, obscure; stem tinged with red, slender, one and one-fourth inches long, adherent to the fruit; skin thin, adhering to the pulp; flesh dark red, with scant dark red juice, meaty, firm, pleasant flavored, sweet; of very good quality; stone clinging, large, wide, ovate, flattened, blunt, oblique, with smooth surfaces; prominently ridged along the ventral suture.
U.S.D.A. Pom, Rpt. 24. 1894. 2. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 24, 1899. 3. U.S.D.A. Yearbook 307-309, Pl- 31. 1907.
[Lambert in 'Cherries of Utah']