Catshead
Apple
Origin/History
An old English variety. Ray described it as long ago as 1688. Formerly grown in some of the home orchards of New York state but now practically obsolete by the early 1900s (Beach). Coxe documented it in American cultivation by 1817.
Tree
Not described in source.
Fruit
Size: Very large. Coxe notes it is apt to drop from the tree from its great weight.
Form: Round, flattened at the ends and deeply hollowed (Coxe). Quite smooth (Downing). Roundish (Elliott).
Stem: Short and thick, so deeply sunk as to be almost imperceptible (Coxe).
Cavity: Not described separately from the stem note above.
Calyx: Not described in source.
Basin: Not described in source.
Skin: Pale green (Downing, Beach). Coxe describes the colour as greenish yellow. Elliott describes yellowish green. Quite smooth (Downing).
Flesh and Flavor: White flesh (Coxe, Elliott). Tender, with a subacid juice (Downing). Beach describes it as subacid. Elliott describes the flesh as white, coarse, sharp acid. Coxe states it is deficient in point of richness and flavour. Downing rates it Good.
Core/Seeds: Not described in source.
Season
October and November (Downing, Elliott).
Uses
Cooking and drying (Coxe). Cultivated for drying in some parts of the country, but of little other value except as a cooking apple (Downing). Used for cooking and evaporating (Beach).
Subtypes/Variants
Elliott notes: "There is another one of this name, equally worthless, same shape, but striped yellow and red."
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
View original book sources (4)
— William Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817)NO. 55. CATHEAD.
This is a very large round apple ; flattened at the ends, and deeply hollowed: the stalk is short and thick, so deeply sunk as to be almost imperceptible the colour a greenish yellow, the flesh white: a good apple for cooking and drying, but apt to drop from the tree from its great weight, and deficient in point of richness and flavour.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Catshead. Round Catshead. Cathead Greening. A very large Apple, cultivated for drying in some parts of the country, but of little other value except as a cooking apple. Fruit of the largest size, round, quite smooth, pale green. Flesh tender, with a subacid juice. Good. October and November.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)CATHEAD.
REFERENCES. 1. Forsyth, 1803:56. 2. Coxe, 1817:133. fig. 3. Thacher, 1822:122. 4. Floy-Lindley, 1833:48. 5. Downing, 1845:103. 6. Thomas, 1849:179. 7. Emmons, Nat. Hist. N. Y., 3:86. 1851. 8. Elliott, 1854:168. 9. Warder, 1867:715. 10. Leroy, 1873:842. fig. 11. Hogg, 1884:41.
SYNONYMS. CATHEAD (2, 3, 8). Cathead Greening (5, 6, 8). CATSHEAD (1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11). Catshead (4, 10). Catshead Greening (10). Costard (4). Costard Ray (7). Coustard (4). De Seigneur d'Automne (10). Grosse-Schafnase (10). Round Catshead (5, 8, 10). Schafnase (10). Tete d'Ange (10). TETE DE CHAT (10).
Formerly grown in some of the home orchards of the state but now practically obsolete. Fruit very large, pale green, subacid. Used for cooking and evaporating. An old English variety. Ray described it as long ago as 1688 (4).
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Cathead. Cathead Greening, | Round Catshead. Large, roundish, yellowish green; flesh, white, coarse, sharp acid. October, November. There is another one of this name, equally worthless, same shape, but striped yellow and red.