American Beauty

American Beauty

Origin/History

Originated in Sterling, Massachusetts. Elliott (1865) records it as received from O. V. Hills. The variety has circulated under the names Sterling Beauty and Beauty of America in addition to American Beauty. Beach (1905) notes that the accepted name in the American Pomological Society Catalogue was changed in 1897 from American Beauty to Sterling; Beach's entry for this variety appears in that volume under the heading Sterling, with American Beauty treated as a synonym.

Tree

Vigorous and productive. Downing describes it as an annual bearer. Wood dull reddish brown, slightly downy (Downing).

Fruit

Size: Downing describes the fruit as large; Elliott gives above medium. These accounts differ and may reflect variation or different selection standards.

Form: Roundish, slightly inclining to conic, obscurely ribbed (Downing). Elliott describes the form as globular, somewhat elongated — broadly consistent with Downing's roundish-conic characterization.

Stem: Rather short, somewhat slender (Downing). Elliott gives the stalk as medium length, inserted in a rather deep, round cavity.

Cavity: Medium, with russet, the rays of which sometimes extend out over a portion of the fruit (Downing). Elliott describes the cavity as rather deep and round — the depth characterization conflicts with Downing's "medium."

Calyx: Small, closed (Downing); closed (Elliott). Segments medium, slightly recurved (Downing).

Basin: Medium, uneven (Downing). Elliott gives the basin as broad and shallow — in conflict with Downing on both dimensions.

Skin: Yellow ground mostly covered with red, which is quite dark in the sun, thickly sprinkled with small light and brown dots (Downing). Elliott describes the color as chiefly deep red, thickly dotted with light gray — omitting the yellow ground and characterizing the dots as light gray rather than light and brown.

Flesh: Yellowish, rather compact, tender, juicy, rich mild, subacid, aromatic (Downing). Elliott gives the flesh as white, crisp, and juicy, with a sweet, rich, vinous flavor (Elliott) — the two accounts disagree on both flesh color (yellowish vs. white) and flavor character (subacid, aromatic vs. sweet, vinous). Elliott's entry carries a "(Downing.)" attribution, suggesting it derives from an earlier Downing edition; the divergence in flavor character may reflect transcription variation or orchard-to-orchard differences.

Core: Small (Downing). Not described by Elliott.

Seeds: Not described in source.

Season

December to April (Downing; Elliott).

Uses

Not described in source.

Subtypes/Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Quality rated Very good by Downing. Elliott's account is attributed to Downing, indicating the description circulated from Downing's earlier editions into subsequent pomological literature.