Beauty Of Hants
AppleBeauty Of Hants
Origin / History
Seedling Offine (Fl. and Pom., 1882, p. 89). Raised at Basset, Southampton, in the garden of Mrs. Eyre Crabbes, and introduced to notice about 1880. Bunyard (1920) calls it "a fine form of Blenheim Orange." Barron placed it as a synonym of Blenheim, which Bunyard calls "quite wrong," since Beauty Of Hants is perfectly distinct: the core of Blenheim is axile and the seeds long and pointed, while the core of Beauty Of Hants is abaxile and the seeds short and plump. George Bunyard & Co.'s 1901 catalogue ranks it "one of the best eating apples from this nursery."
Tree
Growth very strong. Leaf upcupped, round oval, dark green, boldly curved serrate.
Fruit
Size: Very large, 3 by 2¾ (Bunyard, 1920); George Bunyard & Co.'s 1901 catalogue alone gives medium sized.
Form: Roundish square, rather irregular.
Stem: Short and stout.
Cavity: Rather shallow, slightly russet.
Calyx: Eye open, in a broad even basin.
Basin: Broad, even, rather deep.
Skin: Dull yellow-green with a brick red flush and russet patches (Bunyard, 1920); pale yellow with light red striping (George Bunyard & Co., 1901).
Dots: Not described in source.
Flesh and flavor: Yellowish, very crisp, highly aromatic.
Core and seeds: Core abaxile. Seeds short and plump.
Season
Dessert, December to March.
Uses
Dessert; an eating apple.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 1 period pomological work
View original book sources (2)
— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)BEAUTY OF HANTS. Fl. and Pom., 1882, p. 89. F., Seedling Offine. Dessert, December to March, very large, 3 by 2¾, roundish square, rather irregular. Colour, dull yellow-green, brick red flush, russet patches. Flesh, very crisp, yellowish, highly aromatic. Eye, open in a broad even basin, which is rather deep. Stem, short and stout in a rather shallow cavity which is slightly russet. Growth, very strong. Leaf, upcupped, round oval, dark green, boldly curved serrate. Origin, raised at Basset, Southampton, in Mrs. Eyre Crabbes garden, and introduced to notice about 1880. A fine form of Blenheim Orange. Barron places this as a synonym of Blenheim, which is quite wrong as is it perfectly distinct since the core of a Blenheim is axile and the seeds are long and pointed, while the core of Beauty of Hants is abaxile and the seeds are short and plump.
— George Bunyard & Co., George Bunyard Fruit Catalogue (1901) (1901)Medium sized, pale yellow, with light red striping. One of the best eating apples from this nursery.