Prunus avium 'Royal Ann' (Cherry)

Royal Ann (Napoleon) is the historic blonde cherry of the Willamette Valley, golden-yellow with a rosy blush, the cultivar that built Oregon's maraschino and brandied-cherry industry from the 1880s onward. Prunus avium is the cultivated sweet cherry, originating in Europe, western Asia, North Africa and grown for centuries for its fruit. It is not native to North America.

Bloom and harvest in the PNW. Bloom is mid-season, with fruit ripening late June to early July in Oregon and Washington orchards. Site in full sun with good air drainage to reduce disease pressure.

Pollination. Royal Ann (Napoleon) is NOT self-fertile and requires a compatible second cultivar to set fruit. Recommended pollenizers: Bing-incompatible (same pollen group). Cross with Black Republican, Van, Sam, Lapins, or Stella..

PNW disease and care. Royal Ann (also called Napoleon) is incompatible with Bing because they share the same self-incompatibility (S) genotype. Pair with a different pollen group such as Black Republican or a self-fertile like Lapins. The species-level disease pressures to plan for are brown rot (Monilinia laxa), bacterial canker, cherry leaf spot, and powdery mildew. Cherry fruit fly and spotted wing drosophila are the major insect pressures. Net trees against birds at color change.

Native fruiting alternatives: If you also want to support PNW birds and pollinators with regionally native fruit, consider Amelanchier alnifolia (Saskatoon serviceberry), Vaccinium ovatum (evergreen huckleberry), Malus fusca (Pacific crabapple), or Prunus virginiana (chokecherry). These provide bird food, pollinator support, and Indigenous food heritage in your landscape alongside your orchard fruit.