Massasoit (grape)
Encyclopedia
Massasoit is one of the collection of hybrid grape varieties known as Rogers' Hybrids
, created by E.S. Rogers in the mid-19th century, and is the result of a cross of Carter, a selection of Vitis labrusca
, and Black Hamburg (there are two varieties known by this name, but in this case it was probably Schiava Grossa), a selection of Vitis vinifera
. It was originally known as Rogers No. 3, but 1869 Rogers named it after a prominent Native American chief from early Massachusetts history, Ousamequin, who used the title Massasoit
.
Massasoit is female, and thus requires a second grape variety as a pollen source for full fruit set. However unlike many female-flowered grapes, if left unpollinated the variety will often set a number of small, seedless grapes, so consistently that the variety circulated for many years under the name Williams Seedless. Fruit is a dark brown-red, and ripens earlier than any of the other Rogers' Hybrids, though considered by many to be inferior to that of the others. Ulysses Prentiss Hedrick
, in Grapes of New York, stated that the fruit is at its best before it fully ripens, acquiring an unpleasant degree of foxiness if allowed to hang on the vine too long. Massasoit is rarely, if ever, cultivated today, but it enjoyed some popularity as an early table grape in the late 19th century.
Rogers' Hybrids
Rogers' Hybrids are a group of 45 grape seedlings, thirteen of them named as cultivars, developed by Edward Staniford Rogers of Salem, Massachusetts, in the mid-19th century...
, created by E.S. Rogers in the mid-19th century, and is the result of a cross of Carter, a selection of Vitis labrusca
Vitis labrusca
Vitis labrusca is a species of grapevines belonging to the Vitis genus in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The vines are native to the eastern United States and are the source of many grape cultivars, including Catawba and Concord grapes, and many hybrid grape varieties such as Agawam,...
, and Black Hamburg (there are two varieties known by this name, but in this case it was probably Schiava Grossa), a selection of Vitis vinifera
Vitis vinifera
Vitis vinifera is a species of Vitis, native to the Mediterranean region, central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern Iran....
. It was originally known as Rogers No. 3, but 1869 Rogers named it after a prominent Native American chief from early Massachusetts history, Ousamequin, who used the title Massasoit
Massasoit
Massasoit Sachem or Ousamequin ,was the sachem, or leader, of the Pokanoket, and "Massasoit" of the Wampanoag Confederacy. The term Massasoit means Great Sachem.-Early years:...
.
Massasoit is female, and thus requires a second grape variety as a pollen source for full fruit set. However unlike many female-flowered grapes, if left unpollinated the variety will often set a number of small, seedless grapes, so consistently that the variety circulated for many years under the name Williams Seedless. Fruit is a dark brown-red, and ripens earlier than any of the other Rogers' Hybrids, though considered by many to be inferior to that of the others. Ulysses Prentiss Hedrick
Ulysses Prentiss Hedrick
Ulysses Prentiss Hedrick was an American botanistand horticulturistwho specialized in spermatophytes.His main interest was cultivated fruit trees and he published a number of volumes dealing with such fruits as cherries, grapes, plums, and peaches. Ulysses Prentiss Hedrick, A History of...
, in Grapes of New York, stated that the fruit is at its best before it fully ripens, acquiring an unpleasant degree of foxiness if allowed to hang on the vine too long. Massasoit is rarely, if ever, cultivated today, but it enjoyed some popularity as an early table grape in the late 19th century.