Some American cultivars, including 'Liberty', have been planted by some London councils in recent years. 'Liberty' has been available in the trade till a few years ago, but seems not to be offered by any suppliers now.

The leaves of the trees identified to the author under this name are a dark green above, lighter green below, fairly deeply lobed, and borne on a densely foliaged tree. Fruits are borne 2-3 (rarely 1) on each stem. This appears not to agree with the available sketchy descriptions of the foliage and fruit of the tree in the United States. It is possible therefore that the variety supplied has been wrongly identified.

It is said to be fairly resistant to some anthracnose strains, and powdery mildew, at least in North America. As the variety was raised less than 50 years ago (in common with other American cultivars), the trees will not have had time to reach maturity. Hence their suitability for London conditions is not known.

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12-Oct-2022