Clarke Pearmain
AppleClarke Pearmain
Origin / History
An old American variety of the South. Most authors place its origin in North Carolina; Elliott gives it as from Virginia. Warder described it from specimens sent by W. S. Westbrook. Thomas calls it "a well-known Southern variety." Lowther's station table records it from two Central Division and three Southern Division stations, noting it as reported in more than one division; Northern Division stations reporting: none recorded.
Tree
Tree of slow growth, very productive; Thomas calls it productive.
Fruit
Size: Medium.
Form: Roundish, slightly conical, truncated, regular (Budd and Hansen). Downing calls it roundish oblate, slightly conical, and Lowther's table gives roundish oblate.
Stem: Very short to long. Most accounts give very short to medium; Warder alone calls it long, and red.
Cavity: Small to medium, narrow, deep, regular, sometimes lipped (Warder). Slightly russeted, with radiating russet (Budd and Hansen). Warder calls it acute; Budd and Hansen call it obtuse.
Calyx: Small, closed. Segments short, reflexed (Warder), or divergent (Budd and Hansen). Budd and Hansen describe the calyx tube as funnel-shaped and the stamens as median.
Basin: Small to medium, shallow (Elliott), abrupt (Warder). Elliott and Warder describe it as furrowed or folded; Budd and Hansen call it regular and smooth.
Skin: Inclining to rough (Thomas). Ground yellow to greenish yellow, mostly covered to covered with red. The red is bright red (Elliott, Warder), "light rich red in the sun" (Thomas), or rich dark red (Budd and Hansen). It is shaded, striped, and marbled (Downing), laid on in splashes and stripes, coloring solid on the sunny side (Budd and Hansen). Surface bronzed (Warder). In the shade the skin is yellow and russety (Thomas).
Dots: Numerous, large, very distinct, sprinkled thickly over the surface. Whitish (Elliott) or whitish russet (Thomas), russet (Downing), or yellow (Warder), with large russet centers (Budd and Hansen).
Flesh and flavor: Yellow to yellowish, greenish yellow (Warder), or yellowish white (Thomas). Fine-grained, rather firm, crisp. Flavor subacid, rich; Budd and Hansen call it spicy subacid. Quality "very good" by most accounts; Warder rates it "good to very good," and Elliott records it as "'good,' or 'very good.'"
Core and seeds: Core small, pyriform, regular, closed, scarcely clasping (Warder). Cells obovate, entire or nearly so (Budd and Hansen). Seeds short, very plump (Budd and Hansen); some imperfect (Warder).
Season
December. Lowther's table gives winter.
Uses
Dessert and kitchen (Warder). Lowther's table lists it for market.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 6 period pomological works
- Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)
- Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)
- Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)
- Budd & Hansen, Systematic Pomology (1914) — listed as Clark Pearmain
- Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914) — listed as Clark Pearmain
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 1 catalog (1900)
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
View original book sources (6)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Clarke's Pearmain.
Gloucester Pearmain. | Golden Pearmain.
American. From Virginia. Fruit, medium, roundish ; yellow, mostly covered with bright red, and sprinkled with large whitish dots ; stem, medium; cavity, narrow; calyx, closed; basin, shallow, furrowed; flesh, yellowish, crisp, sub-acid ; "good," or "very good." December.
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Clarke's Pearmain.
Origin North Carolina. Specimens from W. S. Westbrook. Tree grows slowly, but very productive.
Fruit medium, roundish-conic, truncated; Surface yellow, covered bright red and bronzed; Dots numerous, large, yellow.
Basin abrupt, folded; Eye small, closed; Segments short, reflexed.
Cavity deep, acute, sometimes lipped; Stem long, red.
Core small, pyriform, regular, closed, scarcely clasping; Seeds, some imperfect; Flesh greenish-yellow, fine grained; Flavor sub-acid, rich; Quality good to very good; Use dessert and kitchen; Season December.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Clarke Pearmain. Yellow Pearmain. Columbian Russet. Gloucester Pearmain. Golden Pearmain. From North Carolina, an old variety. Tree of slow growth, very productive. Fruit medium, roundish oblate, slightly conical, greenish yellow, shaded, striped and marbled with red and russet dots. Stalk very short. Cavity small, slightly russeted. Calyx closed. Basin small. Flesh yellow, rather firm, crisp, rich, subacid. Very good. Core small. December.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Clarke Pearmain. Size medium, roundish, slightly conical; skin inclining to rough yellow and russety in shade, light rich red in the sun, thickly dotted with whitish russet; cavity and basin medium; flesh yellowish white, with a very good sub-acid flavor. Tree productive. A well-known Southern variety. North Carolina.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Clark Pearmain.—An old variety of North Carolina origin; tree of slow growth, very productive.
Fruit medium, roundish, slightly conical, truncated, regular; surface greenish yellow, nearly covered with rich dark red splashes and stripes, coloring solid on sunny side; dots very distinct, numerous, large, yellow, with large russet centres; cavity deep, regular, obtuse, with radiating russet; stem very short to medium; basin regular, smooth, small; calyx small; closed; segments divergent. Core closed, scarcely clasping, small; cells obovate, entire or nearly so; tube funnel-shaped; stamens median; seeds short, very plump; flesh yellow, fine-grained, rather firm, crisp, rich, spicy subacid, very good. December.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Clark Pearmain. Size: medium. Form: roundish oblate. Color: yellow. Quality: very good. Use: market. Season: winter. Northern Division stations reporting: none recorded. Central Division stations reporting: 2 (reported in more than one division). Southern Division stations reporting: 3 (reported in more than one division).