Varieties

Rhubarb Victoria

Synonyms : Large Victoria

First introduced in 1837 by English nurseryman Joseph Myatt and named in honor of Queen Victoria's accession to the throne. In his recent book, Forgotten Fruits, author Christopher Stocks calls Myatt "the godfather of modern rhubarb," and credits him with popularizing the plant (it was previously grown primarily for medicinal purposes). He also explains how Myatt's cause was helped by the fact that there was a significant reduction in taxes on sugar in Britain in the mid-19th century, which made the sweetening of rhubarb necessary cooked a much more affordable option.

Victoria is an heirloom variety of rhubarb that was first grown over 100 years ago in England and named after Queen Victoria by its creator, Joseph Myatt. Today, this variety is extremely common in many gardens because it has a beautiful rich red color, intense flavor, and thick, juicy stems.

Apparently it can be harvested the 1st year after sowing.

Juicy stems, medium size, a popular variety for "forcing", red and green stems, it has large thick red stems with good productivity, soft and not tough or stringy, green petioles, late forcing variety, producing large sticks of good flavor, produces large stems of excellent quality, long, round with smooth ribs, it develops pink speckles on a light green stem, the pink color being more intense at the bottom of the stem, fading towards a solid green towards the top.

Victoria is one of the oldest varieties which was first introduced in 1837 and has been extremely popular ever since. One of the last varieties to set stems in spring and will harvest from May to August. Stem length is 36 to 48 inches and is a beautiful lavender pink. It looks fantastic in the garden when in flower with its huge leaves and long, striking stems. Also suitable for forcing indoors in winter.

‘Victoria’ has not been improved upon since its inception — a testament to its superiority. The creator of this famous heirloom rhubarb was Joseph Myatt of Manor Farm in Deptford, England, a plant breeder who also created a multitude of good strawberries, potatoes, peas, etc. Myatt's 'Victoria' rhubarb was introduced in 1837 in honor of Queen Victoria, and in many ways its rhubarb became the symbol of the dessert cuisine of her reign: rhubarb charlottes, rhubarb fous (similar to a parfait), rhubarb compotes, rhubarb tarts, even rhubarb wine — none of which would have taken their place in Victorian cookbooks if there had not been a “Victoria” for cook. Horticulturists have often claimed that it was 'Victoria' who introduced rhubarb into cooking in England and the United States.

Victoria is often not recommended due to its frequent habit of producing flower stems; used almost exclusively for indoor winter forcing.

Stalk color : Mainly pink below that goes green at the top
Color of the pulpit : Red in the bottom and green
Petiole hairiness : Smouth
Brix : 3,55
Number of ribs : 5

Origin : Angleterre
Year : 1837
Developed by : Joseph Myatt
Availability : Available in Canada

Quotes about Victoria

Victoria - not recommended because of its frequent habit of producing seedstalks; used almost exclusively for wintertime indoor forcing.
Source : Rhubarb Production in Alberta - Agri-Facts, Alberta Agriculture, Food And Rural Development - Agdex, 2002

Victoria – Vendor: Lonestar, Mellinger, Seeds-by-Size. Characteristics: large green stalks, late forcing cultivar.
Source : Vegetable Cultivar Descriptions for North America – Rhubarb, Todd C. Wehner, Jeanine M. Davis and George B. Cox - Department of Horticultural Science North Carolina State University, 2016

Green with pinkish-red blush near the bases of the petioles. Medium vigor and high productivity. Popular for ﬁeld culture and particularly for forcing. Developed in about 1837 in England. Also called ‘Queen Victoria’.
Source : Horticultural Reviews, Volume 40 - Wiley-Blackwell - 2012, Thomas M. Gradziel, Kim E. Hummer, Paolo Inglese, 2012

Victoria.—The standard for the mid-season crop is the Old Victoria. It is about a week later than Linnœus and about a week earlier than the mammoth varieties. Stalks are large and of fine appearance. Their color is bright and Clear, the fiber is crisp and tender, with Plenty of juice, and the flavor is excellent. Most canners and wine-makers prefer it to all others. Both for market and for home use, it is grown far more commonly than any other variety. It produces less weight per acre than the mammoth kinds. Another weak point is its overabundant production of seed. Seed stalks are numerous throughout the season and must be removed as soon as they show or the plant becomes weakened.
Source : The new rhubarb culture - A complete guide to dark forcing and field culture, Morse, John Elliott; Fiske, George Burnap, 1901

Range of Varieties — On the Pacific coast and in Canada the same varieties have been found to succeed as in the central and eastern United States. At the Ontario station seven varieties were tested in rows six feet apart, plants four feet apart in the rows. They were Egyptian Queen, Carleton Club, Linnœus, Paragon, Stott's Mammoth, St. Martin, and Victoria. The verdict was that Linnœus is one of the best for market or home use. Paragon was later than Linnœus and not so good quality and suffered from sunburn. St. Martin was large but poor quality. Carleton Club was the largest of all, and of quite good quality. Stott's Mammoth is also large but stalks are shorter. One leaf of this kind measured 31 x 38 inches. It is late but the quality is the best. Egyptian Queen was a very fine flavor, medium size, and considered good for home use or market.
Source : The new rhubarb culture - A complete guide to dark forcing and field culture, Morse, John Elliott; Fiske, George Burnap, 1901

The varieties most used are Tottle's Improved, which is an English importation, and the Old standard Victoria and Strawberry. The plant has also been successfully grown in northwest and central Alaska where very few of the vegetables will survive the climate. In the Northwest Territory, Victoria and Linnaeus were fit for use May 31, although Inot as large as Carleton Club or Stott's Mammoth, they were of finer flavor. One stalk of the Carleton Club measured over nine inches in circumference. Stott's Mammoth appeared not well adapted to the climate and manv plants died.
Source : The new rhubarb culture - A complete guide to dark forcing and field culture, Morse, John Elliott; Fiske, George Burnap, 1901

Cet héritage populaire a été publié pour la première fois en 1837 à Deptford, en Angleterre, et a été nommé en l'honneur de la reine à l'époque. En 1938, la rhubarbe Victoria a été introduite aux États-Unis via le catalogue de semences de "Burpee" et elle est rapidement devenue une référence dans les jardins, en particulier dans les climats nordiques. Cette
Source : ecoseedbank.com, 2024

Erect attitude, type of cross-section 2, green ground color of skin, entire distribution of skin superimposed color at base, speckled distribution of skin superimposed color at middle, absent (histribution of skin superimposed color just below leaf blade, present hairiness just below leaf blade, weak ribbing of dorsal side, green color of flesh.
Source : The effect of the cultivar and harvest term on the yield and nutritional value of rhubarb juice, Ivana Mezeyová, Ján Mezey, Alena Andrejiová, 2021

Introduite pour la première fois en 1837 par le pépiniériste anglais Joseph Myatt et nommée en l'honneur de l'accession au trône de la reine Victoria. Dans son livre récent, Forgotten Fruits , l'auteur Christopher Stocks appelle Myatt "le parrain de la rhubarbe moderne", et lui attribue la vulgarisation de la plante (elle était auparavant cultivée principalement à des fins médicinales). Il explique également comment la cause de Myatt a été aidée par le fait qu'il y a eu une réduction significative des taxes sur le sucre en Grande-Bretagne au milieu du XIXe siècle, ce qui a fait de l'édulcoration nécessaire de la rhubarbe cuite une option beaucoup plus abordable.
Source : Rhubarb, rhubarb: why Victoria still reigns supreme, www.irishtimes.com, 2010

Speckled Types (pink). Victoria produces large stalks of excellent quality. It is long and round with smooth ribs. It develops pink speckling on a light green stalk. The pink color is more intense at the bottom of the stalk, fading to a solid green near the top. Victoria is commonly used for forcing. Strawberry is very similar to Victoria and, in fact, may be the same variety.
Source : Rhubarb Production in California, Wayne L. Scharader - University of California, 2000

Mostly Pink at the bottom that fades to green at the top. Popular variety due to its sweet taste and higher yield, very likely to produce flower stalks that need removal.
Source : Rhubarb - Underutilized Vegetable Crops - Importance and Cullivalion, Aman Deep Ranga, Jagmeet Singh, 2023

Mostly pink at the bottom that fades to green at the top. Popular commercial variety due to its sweet taste and excellent yield. Very likely to produce flower stalks that need removal.
Source : How to Grow Rhubarb in Your Garden, Taun Beddes, Utah State University, 2024

728. Variétés recommandées.— On recommande la MacDonald développée au collège d'agriculture MacDonald, cette rhubarbe est grosse, rustique et de belle coloration rouge ; et la Victoria qui est robuste et charnue, mais plutôt verte.
Source : Manuel d'agriculture - tome I les champs, Action sociale, Université Laval. École supérieure d'agriculture, 1947

First introduced in 1837, this is one of the oldest rhubarb varieties on the market – and it’s still going strong due to its myriad attractive qualities.2 It is a dependable grower that produces heavy yields, while its strong stalks are a deep red in colour fading to green further towards the leaves and it holds an exquisite flavour. The taste is slightly more bitter than others on the list, but it remains a favourite in Scotland where it is often used to make jams, marmalades and other preserves. It will be ready to harvest slightly later in the season (think mid- to late-May) unless forced, though it does lend itself well to those who prefer to engage in that practice.
Source : Horticulture Magazine - UK Website, 2024

Rhubarb production was still underway on a large scale at Manor Farm; by the 1850s it had become a familiar fruit in British cuisine. At the height of the season a thousand bunches a day were coming off Manor Farm. Joseph Myatt experimented with different hybrids of rhubarb producing cultivars of differing colour and flavour. One stalk of Myatt’s famous ‘Victoria’ rhubarb was said to have weighed up to seven pounds. ‘Linnaeus’ was another successful variety, first released in 1842. Joseph also managed to produce his ‘Early Eracta’ rhubarb in late winter, a great sales and marketing coup. In those days fruit was very welcome in the cold months when few fresh foods were available. In addition to selling rhubarb for food, the Myatts sold rhubarb plants to commercial and home gardeners.
Source : Joseph Myatt Weebly Website, Kathryn Darley, 2024

This variety grows much larger than the former kind and is next in earliness. It is now grown quite extensively for early market, being about. ten days earlier than Mammoth Red, and produces from two to three pickings before that variety is marketable. The stalks have a striking appearance, are very tender and exceedingly good for home use. This variety is generally planted instead of the Linnzeus as it grows larger and is more productive, producing great quantities of medium sized stalks. It is raised by most gardeners in this locality, and by some to the exclusion of all others. But as all vegetables have their limit, why should not this be the same. This is a medium early variety and should not be planted for a late market, although it may be picked at intervals of once a week during the season and bring a fair price, but it does not find as ready a market as the Mammoth Red, and therefore should not be planted to much extent. It is a very rank grower and should be pruned occasionally, as I have stated before. Victoria is used much for pies, tarts and canning, it being very juicy and having a rich spicy flavor, and is also used much for wine. Victoria is a great seed producing variety, often bearing ten seed stalks at a time. ‘These are very injurious to the young stalks if left to grow taking a great quantity of nourishment from the roots; these should be cut offas they appear above the other stalks if not wanted for seed. Ifthe latter is wished they may be left until they become a dark brown color, and when dry shake them off on a clean floor, put them in packages of some kind and keep in a dry place. It is not safe to sow Rhubarb seed after it is two years old.
Source : Rhubarb or pie plant culture - The best varieties, Fred S. Thompson, 1894

If the growing conditions are good (lots of manure), this rhubarb will have stalks that are 2 to 3 feet long and quite thick. It generally has a red or green coloured stalk but if cut cross-section, the flesh of the stalk is green. It has been around since 1837 and is named for Queen Victoria. The museum has quite a few clumps of this rhubarb, and it is still available commercially. We do not have the best conditions for growing rhubarb so the stalks do not make it to 2 or 3 feet, but it still is a steady producer.
Source : Garden Projects at the Museum - Our choice of vegetable to discuss is rhubarb, POMO Museum, Port Moody Heritage Society, 2024

The second Cahoon's is a very coarse affair, but little removed from the Medicinal plant Rheum palmatum. Under the best culture by the side of Victoria, it is later, with quite a flat stalk petioles, pale color, with more filament and lack of richness. The stalks of Victoria were heavier, longer, and yield much more per plant. Victoria is now well known, and as a large, rich, profitable market rhubarb, it has few superiors.
Source : The Gardener's monthly and horticultural advertiser, Vol3 No1, 1861, John Saul, Washington City, D. C., 1861

A large, choice and favorite variety
Source : Rhubarb - American Heritage Vegetable, David S. Shields, McClintock Professor of Southern Letters, at the University of South Carolina, and Stephen Spratt, graduate student in English at the University of South Carolina., 2024

An heirloom variety of green rhubarb. Prior to WWII this was the most common type of rhubarb in the US. Green on the inside, grading from red to green on the outside from the stalk to the leaf. The stalks are smooth on the outside and the skin is thin. They can be frozen and cooked without peeling.Stalks are relatively long (2+ feet) and normally about 1 inch in diameter but can be as thick as 2 inches in diameter. An early harvest variety normally peaking 2 to 3 weeks before red varieties. This variety is one of the best suited to our own growing conditions. The plants become enormous with an annual yield of up to 90 pounds of quality rhubarb apiece on 100-150 gallons of supplemental water in a semi-arid climate. The variety is medium tart with an excellent rhubarb flavor. Most of our own dishes are made from this variety.
Source : High Altitude Rhubarb, 2024

The standard commercial variety grown by Spring Hill from reselected seed.
Source : Spring 1955 catalog - Spring Hill Nurseries, 1955

We will have two varieties this year, the red Goliath and Victoria. The Goliath is the deepest red, our supply of roots is fair this year, the 1yr. will run from 5/8 to 1 inch. 2yr. 1 to 2 inches. Syr. 2 inches up at crown.
Source : Berry and vegetable plants, seeds, 1955

Myatt’s Victoria, large and excellent, 25 cts. each, $1.50 per doz., $10.00 per 100.
Source : Abridged catalogue of fruit and ornamental trees, evergreens, & c offered for sale by John Saul, Washington, D.C, John Saul, Washington, D.C., 1878

The favourite old sorts of rhubarb were the Tobolsk and the Elford or Buck’s; the latter comes from R. undulatum, and is one of the best in flavour, as well as of a flue red colour. Other good sorts of more modern date are Mitchell’s Royal Albert, Dancer’s Early Scarlet, Myatt’s Linnaeus, and Myatt’s Victoria, the last a large-growing thick-stalked kind, the others being all earlier sorts. Johnson’s St Martin’s and Salt’s Crimson Perfection are also favourite kinds; and Stott’s Monarch grows to a very large size.
Source : Encyclopaedia Britannica, Ninth Edition, Vol XII, 1881

Vicroria, or Emperor, large, fine for general use. A.M., R.H.S.
Source : Catalogue of fruit trees cultivated by George Bunyard & Co., Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, 1898-1899, 1898

JUST RECEIVED from Europe MYATTS VICTORIA RHUBARB ROOTS AND LINNAEUS RHUBARB ROOTS. For sale by R. L. ALLEN. 189 & 191 Water-st., New-York.
Source : American agriculturist Vol 17 - 1858, 1858

Victoria — A well known variety 25 oz 5 pkt
Source : Catalogue of high grade seeds, plants, bulbs & c., Graham Bros. 29 Spark Street, Ottawa, 1901

Victoria — A well known variety 25 oz 5 pkt
Source : Catalogue of high grade seeds, plants, bulbs & c., Graham Bros. 29 Spark Street, Ottawa, 1902

Origine? Vivace. Feuilles de dimension moyenne plus larges que lengues, à cloqüres douces, très ondulées sur les bords, vert foncé luisant; pétiole rouge à la base, quelquefois rougeâtre ou pointillé de rouge presque jusqu’au limbe de la feuille.
Source : Description des plantes potagères, Vilmorin-Andrieux et cie, Paris, 1856

On en connaît plusieurs variétés,entre autres : la variété Américaine appelée "Linnaeus”, qui est très hâtive, la “rhubarbe géante (Giant)" et la "rhubarbe Victoria” ; celle-ci est généralement préférée aux autres variétés.
Source : Le Canada français, 15 février 1907, vendredi 15 février 1907,

An Old variety that responds well to forcing and has rather surprisingly good color when grown in darkness. The outdoor stalks do not have the rich color of Macdonald or Ruby or the same degree of sweetness. Good strains of Victoria, however, can be developed. A moderately prolific seed-bearer. Gives a low percentage of good seedlings.
Source : Rhubarb in Alberta, J.S. Shoemaker, 2024

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