BEN'S RED
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
BEN'S RED
Origin/History
Ben's Red was raised by Mr. Benjamin Roberts, of Trannack, Penzance, around 1830. It was noticed in the Gardeners' Chronicle, 1899, p. 261.
Tree
Growth is dwarf; fertility is described as remarkable. Leaves are long oval, dark green, flat, a little down-curved, and neatly serrate.
Fruit
Size and Form: Medium in size, measuring approximately 2½ inches wide by 2 inches tall (Bunyard, 1920). Bunyard (1920) describes the form as flat and a little irregular; the George Bunyard catalog (1914) describes the fruit as roundish — these accounts conflict.
Stem: Very short, set in a wide and deep, slightly russeted cavity.
Cavity: Wide and deep, slightly russeted.
Calyx: Eye closed.
Basin: Wide, shallow, and slightly wrinkled.
Skin: Bunyard (1920) describes the ground color as pale yellow, almost entirely covered with the darkest crimson flush and stripes. The George Bunyard catalog (1914) describes the fruit as bright red, especially deep red on the exposed side, without noting stripes or an underlying pale yellow ground.
Flesh and Flavor: Flesh firm, pale yellow, sweet, and aromatic.
Season
Dessert, September (Bunyard, 1920).
Uses
Bunyard (1920) classifies Ben's Red as a dessert apple. The George Bunyard catalog (1914) describes it as excellent for cooking — these accounts conflict on the primary use. The catalog further notes the variety with the designations (H, B.T., P.).
Tree
Not described in source beyond the characteristics noted above.
Core/Seeds
Not described in source.
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Described in Bunyard (1920) as a very useful fruit, valuable for its great cropping qualities.
Book Sources
Described in 1 period pomological work
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 2 catalogs (1900–1911) from England
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1900
- James Veitch & Sons , Ltd., Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, London (also Coombe Wood, Langley, and Feltham) , England — 1911
View original book sources (2)
— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)BEN'S RED. Gard. Chron., 1899. p. 261. Dessert, September, medium, 2½ by 2, flat, a little irregular. Colour, pale yellow, almost entirely covered with darkest crimson flush and stripes. Flesh, firm, pale yellow, sweet, aromatic. Eye, closed in a wide shallow slightly wrinkled basin. Stem, very short in a wide and deep slightly russeted cavity. Growth, dwarf; fertility remarkable. Leaf, long oval, dark green, flat, a little down curved, neatly serrate. Origin, raised by Mr. Benjamin Roberts, of Trannack, Penzance, about 1830. A very useful fruit, valuable for its great cropping qualities.
— George Bunyard & Co., George Bunyard Catalog of Fruit Trees (1914) (1914)Medium, roundish, bright red, especially deep red on the exposed side. Excellent for cooking. (H, B.T., P.)