CHARLES ROSS

Apple

CHARLES ROSS

Origin / History

Raised by Mr. Charles Ross; introduced in 1899. Of the Peasgoods style but quite distinct: the fruit more upright and the carpels flatter and less curved. Becoming a popular market apple (Bunyard). Thomas Rivers & Son (1914) list it as "a handsome apple of good size and hardiness; a very handsome apple of superior quality; a good bearer."

Tree

Growth upright, a little spreading; fertile. Does not show so much bloom on the tree as Peasgoods. Leaf narrow, pea green, nearly flat, finely shallow serrate. Does extremely well on thin soils on chalk (Bunyard). Good bearer and of good hardiness (Rivers).

Fruit

Size: Large, 4 by 3.

Form: Round, even; more upright than Peasgoods.

Stem: Very short.

Cavity: Rather wide, shallow; usually retains a greenish tinge when the fruit is ripe.

Calyx: Eye open.

Basin: Shallow, even.

Skin: Very pale yellow green, covered with a light red flush, with bold broken stripes over the whole of the fruit when fully exposed. Very handsome (Rivers).

Dots: Not described in source.

Flesh and flavor: Tender, short texture, fairly juicy, quite sweet, pleasant flavor. Quality "superior" (Rivers).

Core and seeds: Carpels flatter and less curved than in Peasgoods.

Season

October to December.

Uses

Culinary or dessert. Becoming a popular market apple.

Subtypes / Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Not described in source.

Book Sources

Described in 1 period pomological work

Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)

Nursery Catalog Sources

Found in 1 catalog (1911) from England

James Veitch & Sons , Ltd., Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, London (also Coombe Wood, Langley, and Feltham) , England — 1911

View original book sources (2)

CHARLES ROSS. Culinary or dessert, October to December, large, 4 by 3, round even. Colour, very pale yellow green, covered with a light red flush, and bold broken stripes over the whole of the fruit when fully exposed. Flesh, tender, short texture, fairly juicy, quite sweet, pleasant flavour. Eye, open in a shallow even basin. Stem, very short in a rather wide shallow cavity, which usually retains a greenish tinge when the fruit is ripe. Growth, upright, a little spreading; fertile. Leaf, narrow, pea green, nearly flat, finely shallow serrate. Origin, raised by Mr. Charles Ross, and introduced in 1899. This apple is of the Peasgoods style, but is quite distinct, not showing so much bloom on the tree, the fruit being more upright and the carpels flatter and less curved. It is becoming a popular market apple and does extremely well on thin soils on chalk.

— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)

a handsome apple of good size and hardiness; a very handsome apple of superior quality; a good bearer

— Thomas Rivers & Son, Thomas Rivers Catalogue of Fruits (1914) (1914)