Autumnal Swaar

Origin / History

The origin of Autumnal Swaar is unknown (Downing; Warder; Beach; Budd-Hansen). It is a Western fruit (Elliott; Warder), and Warder notes that, "like many others of our Western fruits, which have been received from various sources, and often from unreliable persons, and with wrong names, we have been obliged to re-christen this." Beach places it in the Fall Orange group, observing that the fruit resembles Fall Orange very closely. Beach further records that it is occasionally found in cultivation in New York State but is now seldom or never planted. The earliest reference cited by Beach is the Genesee Farmer, 1838.

Tree

The tree is hardy, vigorous, and spreading (Downing; Beach; Budd-Hansen). Thomas describes growth as vigorous, with shoots diverging and the tree spreading. Beach notes the tree is "not satisfactorily productive" (citing Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890).

Fruit

Size

Sources vary on size. Elliott and Downing describe the fruit as large. Budd-Hansen also calls it large. Warder describes it as "full medium to large." Thomas calls it large. Beach states "above medium to medium, sometimes large."

Form

Sources give somewhat differing forms. Elliott and Downing describe the fruit as roundish conic. Budd-Hansen describes it as roundish conical, regular. Warder describes it as round, somewhat flattened, regular, handsome. Thomas describes it as oblate, sometimes very slightly ribbed, and separately notes that "a large, roundish-conical apple, with a good, mild, sub-acid flavor, is grown under this name at the West." Beach gives the form as oblate to roundish conic.

Stem / Stalk

The stalk is rather short (Elliott; Downing). Warder describes the stem as medium to long and knobbed. Budd-Hansen gives a medium, knobbed stem. Thomas describes the stalk as "an inch or more long, varying from long and slender, to thick and fleshy at insertion." Beach describes the stem as "often short, thick and irregularly knobbed."

Cavity

The cavity is broad and deep, slightly russeted (Elliott; Downing). Warder gives it as medium, acute, regular, green. Budd-Hansen describes it as broad, acute, regular, green and russet. Thomas describes cavity and basin as "wide and slightly ribbed." Beach describes the cavity as acute, deep, broad, often lipped or irregular, with concentric russet marks and with outspreading russet rays.

Calyx

The calyx is small and closed (Elliott; Downing; Budd-Hansen). Warder describes the eye as small and closed. Beach gives the calyx as medium to small, closed or slightly open. Beach further notes the calyx tube is funnel-form, with stamens median.

Basin

The basin is deep, abrupt, and corrugated (Elliott; Downing). Budd-Hansen describes the basin as deep, abrupt, smooth or slightly corrugated. Warder gives the basin as medium, regular. Beach describes it as medium in depth, medium to narrow, abrupt, slightly ridged. Thomas describes the basin (with the cavity) as wide and slightly ribbed.

Skin

The skin is yellow, sprinkled with star-shaped dots (Elliott). Downing describes it as orange-yellow, netted with russet, and sprinkled with star-shaped dots. Warder gives the surface as smooth, yellowish-green, with a bronzy blush, and dots that are numerous, large, gray. Budd-Hansen describes the surface as greenish yellow, becoming orange yellow, with bronze blush and russet net-veining; dots many, large, gray, stellate. Thomas describes the skin simply as rich yellow. Beach describes the skin as orange-yellow or greenish, in some cases with a decided blush but not striped, roughened by almost invisible, capillary netted russet lines which become more distinct, larger and concentric about the base and apex. Beach notes the dots as conspicuous, irregular, russet or red areolar with russet center. Beach gives the prevailing effect as yellow.

Flesh / Flavor

The flesh is yellow (Elliott; Downing; Warder; Budd-Hansen), or yellowish (Thomas). It is juicy (Elliott; Downing; Warder; Budd-Hansen; Beach), tender (Elliott; Downing; Budd-Hansen; Thomas; Beach), and breaking (Warder; Beach).

Thomas dissents on juiciness, describing the flesh as "tender, yellowish, not juicy."

The flavor is described variously: "pleasant, rich, mild, sub-acid" (Elliott); "pleasant, rich, mild, slightly aromatic subacid" (Downing); "mild sub-acid, agreeable" (Warder); "mild, pleasant, rich, subacid" (Budd-Hansen); "very sweet, spicy, agreeable" (Thomas); and "agreeable, mild subacid, decidedly aromatic, sprightly, very good" (Beach). Quality is rated good (Warder), very good (Downing; Budd-Hansen; Beach).

Core / Seeds

The core is small (Downing) or rather small (Warder), closed and clasping (Warder; Budd-Hansen). Beach describes the core as medium to rather small, nearly axile; cells partly open or closed; core lines clasp the funnel-cylinder; carpels emarginate, somewhat elliptical, tufted. Seeds are numerous, large, plump (Warder; Budd-Hansen), or numerous, large to medium, plump, tufted, brown (Beach).

Season

September (Elliott; Downing; Warder; Budd-Hansen; Beach). Thomas gives the season as mid-autumn.

Uses

Table and kitchen (Warder). Beach notes the fruit is "very good in quality for either dessert or culinary uses."

Subtypes / Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Beach provides a direct comparison between Autumn Swaar and Fall Orange: "The fruit of Fall Orange as compared with that of Autumn Swaar is larger, more inclined to conic, has smaller seeds and a fleshy pistil point projecting into the base of the calyx tube. The flesh is whiter, more acid, less aromatic and less tender. The flesh of well grown and well ripened Autumn Swaar is decidely yellower, more tender and milder with a very pleasant, peculiarly aromatic flavor."

Thomas notes that "Sweet Golden Pippin. See Autumnal Swaar," indicating a cross-reference under that name.