Battulen

Origin / History

Battulen originated in Transylvania (Beach; Budd-Hansen), and was imported from Russia (Budd-Hansen). Hansen's 1902 study lists the origin simply as Russia, which is reconciled by the later Budd-Hansen account specifying Transylvania as the place of origin with Russia as the avenue of introduction. Published references trace to at least 1864 (Lucas, Illustriertes Handbuch der Obstkunde, 4:559) and subsequently appeared in Leroy (1873), Budd's reports of 1881–82 and 1892, Gaucher's Pomologie (1894), and station bulletins from Michigan and South Dakota in the early twentieth century. Beach (1905) notes that as tested at the Geneva Station it had not yet proved very productive, with a similar record reported at the Michigan Station; he nonetheless considered it an attractive variety, doubtless worthy of a place in commercial orchards if productivity could be demonstrated.

Tree

Sources conflict somewhat on vigor: Beach describes the tree as a poor grower in the nursery, only moderately vigorous as a bearing tree, while Budd-Hansen characterize it as very vigorous and hardy. All sources agree on a spreading habit; Beach adds that the form may also be upright spreading or roundish, and notes the crown is dense.

Branches are short and moderately stout (Beach). Twigs are long to medium in length, nearly straight, medium stout, with internodes that are rather short (Beach). Bark is dark reddish-brown, mottled with scarf-skin, slightly pubescent (Beach). Lenticels are numerous, small, generally roundish, and raised (Beach). Buds are medium or below medium in size, narrow, acute, appressed, and rather pubescent (Beach). Leaves are large and broad (Beach).

Fruit

Size

Beach describes fruit as medium or above; Hansen (1902) as large; Budd-Hansen as medium to large. All sources indicate the fruit is pretty uniform in size and shape.

Form

Beach and Hansen (1902) agree on a roundish to slightly roundish conic outline, sometimes inclined to oblong, and rather regular in form. Budd-Hansen, however, describe the fruit as roundish oblate, very regular, and tapering uniformly toward both ends — a profile somewhat at odds with the roundish-conic description of the other two sources.

Stem

Beach: medium to short, rather slender. Budd-Hansen: short to medium, stout. Hansen (1902): long. All three sources diverge on this character; the stem appears to range from short to long depending on individual specimens or the stock observed.

Cavity

Beach: acuminate, moderately broad to rather narrow, wavy, bright green with whitish spots, sometimes russeted. Hansen (1902): regular, deep, acute, with a trace of russet. Budd-Hansen: regular, deep.

Calyx

Beach and Hansen (1902) agree that the calyx is closed; the calyx segments in Hansen (1902) are described as connivent and small. Budd-Hansen, however, describe the calyx as half open, with segments that are long, divergent, and woolly — a material conflict with the other two accounts. The calyx tube is described by Beach as long, rather narrow, and conical or approaching funnel-form; Hansen (1902) as conical; Budd-Hansen as funnel-shaped and long. Stamens are median in all accounts that note them (Beach; Hansen 1902).

Basin

Beach: abrupt, moderately deep, rather narrow, sometimes furrowed and wrinkled, with sides sometimes compressed. Hansen (1902): deep, irregular, corrugated. Budd-Hansen: deep, slightly irregular, woolly at the bottom.

Skin

Beach describes the skin as smooth, clear, bright, and almost waxen yellow — often with no shade of red, but sometimes carrying a distinct blush — giving a prevailing effect of attractive yellow. Dots are small and inconspicuous, usually submerged.

Hansen (1902) describes the surface as clear greenish yellow overlaid with whitish, with a carmine blush and russet net-veining; dots distinct, many, large, russet.

Budd-Hansen describe the surface as polished, clear yellow with a large carmine blush, open net-veining, and small patches of russet; dots numerous, oblong, brown.

The accounts conflict on the prominence of the blush and the character of the dots: Beach most often sees little or no red with tiny, inconspicuous, submerged dots; Hansen (1902) and Budd-Hansen both report a carmine blush and net-veining with numerous, larger, conspicuous dots. The net-veining and russet patching are noted by both Hansen (1902) and Budd-Hansen but absent from Beach's description.

Flesh / Flavor

Beach: flesh tinged with yellow, firm, moderately coarse, crisp, rather tender, juicy, subacid, aromatic, sprightly; quality rated very good.

Hansen (1902): flesh whitish, juicy, tender, sprightly acid; quality rated very good.

Budd-Hansen: flesh white, very juicy, sprightly pleasant acid; quality rated good.

Beach alone notes the yellow tinge; the other two accounts describe the flesh as whitish or white. Beach rates the flavor as subacid, while Hansen (1902) and Budd-Hansen both describe it as sprightly acid — a consistent conflict across all three sources on acidity level.

Core / Seeds

Beach: core small to medium, axile, closed or open; core lines clasping; carpels roundish, sometimes unsymmetrical, emarginate; seeds small to medium, plump, obtuse to acute, dark.

Hansen (1902): core closed, meeting; cells ovate, slit; tube conical; seeds very large, somewhat flattened.

The seed size descriptions conflict sharply: Beach gives small to medium, Hansen (1902) gives very large, somewhat flattened. Budd-Hansen do not separately characterize the core or seeds.

Season

November to March (Beach). Late winter (Hansen 1902; Budd-Hansen).

Uses

Attractive for market and culinary uses; acceptable for dessert (Beach). Beach considers the variety doubtful in productivity but worthy of commercial planting if that deficiency can be overcome.

Other

Beach cites the synonym Pomme de Transylvania (after Leroy, 1873).