Gatria is a cultivar/selection from the Red Fern Farm breeding program (Tom Wahl, Wapello, Iowa). It is described as having large fruit, a low seed ratio, excellent flavor, abundant fruiting, and mid-season ripening. Availability is limited: Red Fern offers grafting/planting material periodically; other specialized nurseries and organizations also occasionally have stock.
Breeder/Nursery: Tom Wahl, Red Fern Farm (Wapello, Iowa, USA). Gatria is one of the newer selections developed within the Red Fern Farm program.
In available descriptions, Gatria is identified as a Susquehanna × Shenandoah seedling (originating from these two well-known varieties). This is consistent across several reviews/cultivar lists reposting Red Fern's description.
Fruit Size: Descriptions label Gatria as "large" — Red Fern markers designate it as "large fruit size". There is no publicly available, verified university/journal table validating the exact average fruit weight for Gatria; thus, estimates must be built from indirect sources (nursery cards + field/forum observations + genetic cues). Descriptive/catalog sources (nurseries, hobby growers) use categories like “large/jumbo”, “half-pound or more”, or “large tasty fruit” without a strict statistical range in grams.
Field photos/posts on forums and Facebook: Individual fruit examples are tagged with weights — values of ~200–390 g appear for specific Gatria specimens. While several such mentions exist, they do not constitute systematic sampling.
Gatria is frequently cited as Susquehanna × Shenandoah (Susquehanna is large: ~360–370 g average in some catalogs; Shenandoah is significantly smaller in KSU measurements: ~120–150 g). Theoretically, the real average weight may lie between the parents or closer to the larger one. A minimally justified realistic average range: ≈200–250 g/fruit (lower bound). Maximally justified working range: ≈300–380 g/fruit — inclusive of recorded large specimens and the Susquehanna heritage. Thus, a realistic interval for Gatria's average weight is ≈200–380 g/fruit, with a likely "centered" estimate of ≈260–320 g.
Seeds: low seed ratio.
Pulp and Taste: creamy, "excellent flavor".
Gatria is a mid-season variety. In most temperate regions, mid-season implies ripening in the late August – September window, or September → early October in cooler conditions.
Red Fern and reviews describe Gatria as a variety with heavy production. Exact quantitative data (kg/tree) is not available in open sources.
Typical for pawpaw: medium growth, mature height ≈4–6 m (depending on conditions and pruning). Specific data for Gatria has not been found.
For stable yields, cross-pollination is required — at least 2 different varieties with overlapping bloom or manual pollination to increase set percentage.
Diseases/Pests: In public sources, Gatria is not noted as particularly vulnerable or exceptionally resistant; general pawpaw risks (leaf spot in wet seasons, some caterpillars/moths) remain relevant. Cold Hardiness/USDA Zones: species-wide standard — USDA zones 5–9; Red Fern tests varieties for temperate regions, so Gatria has standard adaptation for temperate cultivation.
Discussions on forums (GrowingFruit, etc.) and reposts of Red Fern descriptions indicate that Red Fern selections (Atria, Betria, Gatria, Regulus, Rigel, etc.) receive positive feedback for large pulp, low seed ratio, and good flavor. Specific reports on Gatria are descriptive (tasty, large, abundant), but systematic public tests are few.
Precise average fruit weight (g) and yield (kg/tree) data for large samples of Gatria are not found in open literature — only descriptive nursery cards and field reports exist. Detailed public results of multi-year trials (statistical data on yield stability across different climates) for Gatria are absent from the general domain; most Red Fern selections are currently documented primarily by enthusiasts and nurseries.