Flava American Cranberrybush Seeds

currently unavailable Northern Strain - Yellow Fruited Selection From Montana  

This is one of the most northern and western of the American cranberrybush found in northern Montana and Manitoba in zones 2-3. Seed grown this yellow fruited selection produces a mix of yellow and red fruited seedlings. Originally may have been the selection found in the 'middle of nowhere' by plant breeder and nurseryman Frank Skinner from Manitoba. Like the Phillips selection, its main attribute was the fruiting and the fruit quality for making jelly. The red berries produced from this strain really have a better flavor when fully bletted by freezing and thawing. The flavor is cranberry like. Best picked in December and January.  It is best to let frost ripen the fruit. These yellow ones ripen much earlier than the red but frost is still needed to mellow the astringency and bitterness. 

Flava does not produce true to seed but you can pick them in a seedling form prior to fruiting. Here is how: look for the yellow petioles on the leaves. They too will be yellow. In some batches of seeds, a large portion were yellow and other batches there appeared to be few yellow petioled plants. This is normal with this strain. It is not quite stable enough or predictable enough to know. Further selection could be done to find the mellow yellow plants and try making an all yellow form from seed.  Also taking the batch of seedlings further, you could find some that taste better and provide a better flavor without so much sugar to quench the bitter and ascorbic acid feel on your tongue. 

Flava produces a large plant up to 15 ft. tall or more and is more upright than other seed strains we have. Cuttings can be available upon request for the true to type Flava plants if combined when combined with Flava seeds.