Black Lady Apple
Apple
Black Lady Apple
Origin / History
Identified by Elliott (1865) as Foreign, and known in French pomological literature as the Api Noir. The variety was catalogued by Desportes as No. 14 in his 1856 Horticulturist enumeration.
Tree
Not described in sources.
Fruit
Size and Form: Small. Desportes gives the dimensions as one and one-third inches high and one and three-fourths inches in diameter. Form is roundish and somewhat irregular (Desportes).
Stem: Short, inserted in a shallow cavity (Desportes).
Cavity: Shallow at the stem end (Desportes).
Calyx: Small, closed (Desportes).
Basin: Profound — notably deep (Desportes).
Skin: The two sources disagree on color. Desportes describes the skin as deep black everywhere, speckled with some gray dots towards the stem. Elliott describes it as blackish red. The gray speckling noted by Desportes may account for the difference in perceived hue.
Flesh / Flavor: Tender, breaking, acidulous, first rate (Desportes). Elliott notes the flesh is white and stained.
Core / Seeds: Not described in sources.
Season
Ripens from November to March (both sources agree).
Uses
Very suitable as a dessert fruit; Desportes considers it very curious on account of its unusual coloring.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in sources.
Other
Not described in sources.
Book Sources
Described in 2 period pomological works
View original book sources (2)
— B. Desportes, The Horticulturist (1856)No. 14. Black Lady Apple. — Fruit, one and one-third inches high, and one and three-fourth inches in diameter; form, roundish, irregular; stalk, short, inserted in a shallow cavity; eye, small, closed, set in a profound cavity; color, deep black everywhere, speckled with some gray dots towards the stem; flesh, tender, breaking, acidulous, first rate; ripens from November to March. It is very curious, and very suitable as a desert fruit.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Black Lady Apple. Api Noir. Foreign. Small, roundish, blackish red ; flesh, white stained. November to March.