Bietigheimer

Bietigheimer

Origin/History

Of German origin. Introduced to North American pomological attention through multiple references beginning in the 1880s, including Downing (1881), Thomas (1885), and others through the 1890s and early 1900s. Listed in the American Pomological Society Catalogue of 1897.

Tree

Tree large, moderately vigorous to vigorous. Form upright spreading or roundish, dense, with laterals inclined to droop. Twigs short, curved, stout, with large terminal buds; internodes long. Bark dull brown tinged with green, lightly streaked with scarf-skin; pubescent. Lenticels quite numerous, conspicuous, medium in size, oval, raised. Buds prominent, large, broad, plump, obtuse, free, pubescent.

In the nursery the tree is a rough grower, forming many badly shaped trees; it is therefore best to topwork it on some good straight stock. The tree comes into bearing rather early. Beach reports it as an annual cropper under favorable conditions but only moderately productive. Thomas characterizes it as a free bearer. Hardy.

Fruit

Size and Form: Fruit very large, pretty uniform in size and shape. Form roundish oblate or inclined to conic, with broad, flat base, somewhat irregular.

Stem: Medium to short, thick.

Cavity: Large, acute, or approaching acuminate, wide, moderately shallow to rather deep, sometimes furrowed, occasionally lipped, often much russeted and with outspreading russet rays.

Calyx: Medium to small, closed; lobes rather narrow, acute.

Basin: Varies from shallow and obtuse to deep and abrupt, medium in width, somewhat wrinkled, often marked with mammiform protuberances.

Skin: Thick, tough, smooth. Beach describes the ground color as bright pale yellow to greenish or whitish, washed with pinkish-red and sparingly and obscurely splashed with deeper red. Thomas describes the ground color as dark yellow, covered with purplish crimson. These two accounts conflict on the extent and intensity of the red overcolor: Beach indicates sparse, obscure red wash; Thomas indicates heavy coverage of purplish crimson.

Dots: Numerous, small, inconspicuous, yellowish or russet.

Flesh and Flavor: Almost white, firm, very coarse, crisp, somewhat tough, juicy, subacid. Beach rates it fair to nearly good; Thomas rates it good.

Core and Seeds: Calyx tube broadly conical. Stamens usually basal or nearly so. Core medium to large, axile to somewhat abaxile; cells partly open; core lines clasping. Carpels cordate or broadly roundish, a little tufted. Seeds numerous, large to medium, rather wide, broadly acute, rather light brown.

Season

September and October.

Uses

A good cooking apple, but coarse, subacid, and not desirable for dessert use. The fruit is a fine exhibition specimen owing to its great size and striking appearance, but is not considered worthy of cultivation for either home use or market. The fruit, being extremely large, drops badly before the crop is ready to pick.

Subtypes/Variants

Not described in source.

Other

The variety's principal distinction is its great size and beauty. Despite this, its commercial and culinary value is limited: it is coarse-fleshed, prone to pre-harvest drop, and produces badly shaped nursery trees unless topworked.