Berry
AppleBerry Apple
Origin/History
Origin Virginia, or Virginia or North Carolina (Warder, quoting Downing, gives "Virginia or North Carolina"; Elliott gives "From Virginia"). Esteemed in the South and considered likely to prove valuable throughout the Southwest (Elliott).
Tree
Tree vigorous, upright, very productive; considered a valuable market fruit (Warder/Downing).
Fruit
Size and Form: Above medium in size. Warder/Downing describes the form as obliquely depressed; Elliott describes it as oblate irregular.
Stem: Short.
Cavity: Broad (both sources agree). Warder/Downing adds that the cavity is also deep.
Calyx: Open.
Basin: Shallow. Warder/Downing adds that the basin is uneven.
Skin: Striped and splashed with red on a greenish-yellow ground; large dots, the dots having a dark center (Warder/Downing; Elliott agrees on the striping, splashing, greenish-yellow ground, and large dots, but does not mention the dark dot centers).
Flesh and Flavor: Juicy (both sources). Warder/Downing describes the flesh as rather coarse, with a pleasant sub-acid flavor. Elliott describes it as vinous and rates it "very good."
Core/Seeds: Core small (Elliott). Not described in Warder/Downing.
Season
Warder/Downing: November to March. Elliott: December to March.
Uses
Valued as a market fruit (Warder/Downing). Esteemed in the South (Elliott).
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Elliott lists Red Hazel and Pound as synonymous names for this variety.
Book Sources
Described in 2 period pomological works
USDA Nomenclature (1905)
From W.H. Ragan, Nomenclature of the Apple, USDA Bulletin No. 56
May be Nickajack.
Possibly Nickajack.
View original book sources (2)
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Berry.
Not having enjoyed an opportunity of examining this fruit, I quote from my friend Chas. Downing.
"Origin Virginia or North Carolina. Tree vigorous, upright, very productive, and a valuable market fruit.
"Fruit rather above medium, obliquely depressed; Skin striped and splashed with red, on greenish-yellow ground, with large dots, having a dark center; Stem short, in a generally broad, deep cavity; Calyx open; Basin shallow, and uneven; Flesh rather coarse, juicy, with a pleasant sub-acid flavor; November to March."
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Berry.
Red Hazel, | Pound.
From Virginia. Fruit, above medium, oblate irregular, red, striped, and splashed on greenish yellow, large dots; stem, short; cavity, broad; calyx, open; basin, shallow; flesh, juicy, vinous; "very good;" core, small. December to March. Esteemed South, and will probably prove valuable all South West.