Caravel (Portia)

Orig. in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, by Canada Dept. Agr., Res. Sta. Named and introd. in 1964. Melba × Crimson Beauty; selected by D.S. Blair (1909 to 1959); tested as Ottawa 277 (released in 1942 under this number) early testing by Blair, tested later and released by Lloyd P.S. Spangelo. <b>Fruit:</b> roundish conic; skin yellow, heavily washed with bright red (up to 65% of surface), attractive; flesh cream, tender; good flavor and dessert quality, superior to Crimson Beauty, nearly equals Melba; ships well; ripens 3 to 4 days before Melba; requires thinning to secure commercial fruit size; developed primarily for eastern Canada. <b>Tree:</b> hardy; bears biennially; sets heavily; comes into bearing early.