Che Fruit / Melon Berry (Cudrania tricuspidata) HWANG KUM #2

Che Fruit / Melon Berry (Cudrania tricuspidata) 'Hwang Kum #2'

A world-class cultivar: modern Korean variety featuring massive fruits, compact growth, and early ripening.

The 'Hwang Kum #2' variety (known in Korea as Super Red Berry) is widely regarded as perhaps the finest Che fruit available today. This modern South Korean cultivar impresses not only with the size and quality of its fruit but also with its unique growth habit. Thanks to its early ripening and high frost resistance, it is the most reliable choice for cooler regions (USDA Zone 5). Renowned experts like Cliff England consider it the variety with the best-tasting fruits in the world.

Main advantages of the variety:

• Early Ripening: The earliest variety on the market, ensuring the crop ripens fully even in cooler climates.
• Premium Flavor: Excellent, exceptionally juicy, and large fruits with perfect texture.
• Compact Growth: Grows as a dense shrub or small tree, making it ideal for small gardens and easy harvesting.
• Extremely Early Bearing: Often starts producing fruit as early as the next year after planting.
• High frost hardiness (-25 °C to -28 °C) and total disease resistance.

Origin and Breeding

• Origin: South Korea (2012). Breeder: Seonjin Horticulture Seed Co., Ltd.
• Name: The original name is Hwanggeumja No. 2, sold internationally under the commercial name "Super Red Berry".

Variety Characteristics

Tree / Shrub

• Vigor and Habit: Specific "spur-type" growth. It forms a compact small tree or dense shrub with a neat round crown. The wood is exceptionally hard and tough.
• Harvesting: Due to its smaller size and dense fruit setting, harvesting is extremely easy—a ladder is rarely needed.
• Pollination: A female variety. To ensure a bountiful crop, the presence of a male plant (pollinator) is required.

Fruit

• Size and Shape: The fruits are very large, uniform, and perfectly spherical.
• Flesh and Taste: Exceptionally juicy with a superior texture. The flavor is rated as the best among all known Che fruit varieties.
• Use: Perfect for fresh consumption as a luxury dessert fruit.

Resistance and Requirements

• Frost: Outstanding hardiness. Due to early wood and fruit maturation, it successfully handles temperatures down to -25 °C / -28 °C (-18 °F).
• Diseases: A 100% organic-friendly plant—it suffers from no pests or diseases and requires no chemical protection.

Harvest and Yield

• Harvest Time: Very early (late September to October). This early window is crucial for a successful harvest in temperate climates.
• Yield: Extremely high. The fruits are set very densely on the branches, creating a striking visual effect.