Black Norman
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Black Norman
Origin / History
No documented history is recorded for this variety. No discoverable connection with the orchards of Normandy can be established.
Tree
Hardy and a good bearer. A favored variety in orchards.
Fruit
Form and Surface: Roundish and flattened, obscurely ribbed, especially around the eye. Skin smooth and shining, unctuous to the touch after the fruit has been gathered.
Color: Dull mahogany red on the side next the sun, gradually becoming paler towards the shaded side, which is green and slightly mottled with red.
Eye: Closed, with long, leafy, convergent segments, set in a rather deep, irregular basin.
Calyx Tube: Conical; stamens median.
Cavity: Deep, wide, and funnel-shaped, slightly russety. Stalk long and slender, inserted into the cavity.
Flesh and Flavor: Greenish, very tender, juicy, and brisk, with a faint sweetness.
Core: Cells quite closed; cell walls ovate.
Season
Not described in source.
Uses
Cider. Though the juice lacks any especial flavor in itself, it is rich and sweet and is believed to give body to cider made from it.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Chemical analysis by Mr. G. H. With, F.R.A.S.:
- Density of fresh juice: 1.036
- Density after 24 hours: 1.037
In 100 parts by weight of juice:
- Sugar: 11.905
- Tannin, Mucilage, Salts, &c.: 1.125
- Water: 86.970
Book Sources
Described in 1 period pomological work
View original book sources (1)
— Woolhope Naturalists Field Club, The Herefordshire Pomona (1885)
- BLACK NORMAN.
This very distinct variety is again without any history, or any discoverable connection with the orchards of Normandy.
Description.—Fruit, roundish and flattened, obscurely ribbed, especially round the eye. Skin smooth and shining, unctuous to the touch after the fruit has been gathered ; dull mahogany red on the side next the sun, and gradually becoming paler towards the shaded side, which is green and slightly mottled with red. Eye, closed, with long, leafy, convergent segments, set in a rather deep, irregular basin ; tube, conical ; stamens, median ; stalk, long and slender, inserted in a deep, wide, funnel-shaped cavity, which is slightly russety; flesh, greenish, very tender, juicy, and brisk, with a faint sweetness ; cells of the core, quite closed ; cell walls, ovate.
The tree is hardy, and a good bearer. It is a favourite variety in the orchards. The juice, though without any especial flavour in itself, is rich and sweet, and is believed to give body to the cider made from it.
Chemical analysis by Mr. G. H. With, F.R.A.S :—
Density of fresh juice ... ... ... ... 1·036 Ditto after 24 hours ... ... ... ... 1·037 In 100 parts by weight of juice there is : Sugar ... ... ... ... ... 11·905 Tannin, Mucilage, Salts, &c., ... ... ... 1·125 Water ... ... ... ... ... 86·970