Clarke Pearmain
Apple
Clarke Pearmain
Origin / History
An old American variety. Most sources (Warder, Downing, Thomas, Budd & Hansen) give the origin as North Carolina; Elliott instead reports it as American, from Virginia. Thomas describes it as "a well-known Southern variety." Warder notes his specimens were supplied by W. S. Westbrook.
Tree
Of slow growth, but very productive (Warder, Downing, Budd & Hansen).
Fruit
Size
Medium (all sources).
Form
Roundish and slightly conical, with sources varying slightly in emphasis: Warder gives "roundish-conic, truncated"; Downing "roundish oblate, slightly conical"; Lowther "roundish oblate"; Thomas "roundish, slightly conical"; Elliott simply "roundish"; Budd & Hansen "roundish, slightly conical, truncated, regular."
Stem / Stalk
Sources disagree on stem length. Warder describes the stem as long and red. Downing gives the stalk as very short. Budd & Hansen describe it as very short to medium. Elliott describes it as medium.
Cavity
Warder: deep, acute, sometimes lipped. Downing: small, slightly russeted. Elliott: narrow. Thomas: medium. Budd & Hansen: deep, regular, obtuse, with radiating russet.
Calyx / Eye / Basin
Calyx/eye small and closed (Warder, Downing, Budd & Hansen). Segments short and reflexed per Warder; divergent per Budd & Hansen. Basin small (Downing, Budd & Hansen), abrupt and folded (Warder), shallow and furrowed (Elliott), medium (Thomas); Budd & Hansen add that the basin is regular and smooth.
Skin / Surface
Ground color yellow to greenish yellow, largely covered with red, with conspicuous dots. Warder: surface yellow, covered with bright red and bronzed; dots numerous, large, yellow. Downing: greenish yellow, shaded, striped and marbled with red and russet dots. Lowther: yellow. Elliott: yellow, mostly covered with bright red, and sprinkled with large whitish dots. Thomas: skin inclining to rough, yellow and russety in the shade, light rich red in the sun, thickly dotted with whitish russet. Budd & Hansen: surface greenish yellow, nearly covered with rich dark red splashes and stripes, coloring solid on the sunny side; dots very distinct, numerous, large, yellow, with large russet centres.
Flesh / Flavor
Flesh greenish-yellow (Warder), yellow (Downing, Budd & Hansen), or yellowish to yellowish white (Elliott, Thomas); fine-grained (Warder, Budd & Hansen); rather firm and crisp (Downing, Budd & Hansen); crisp (Elliott). Flavor rich, sub-acid (Warder, Downing, Elliott, Thomas); Budd & Hansen specify "rich, spicy subacid." Quality good to very good (Warder, Elliott); very good (Downing, Lowther, Thomas, Budd & Hansen).
Core / Seeds
Core small, regular, closed, scarcely clasping; pyriform per Warder. Seeds short and very plump (Budd & Hansen); some imperfect (Warder). Budd & Hansen add: cells obovate, entire or nearly so; tube funnel-shaped; stamens median.
Season
December (Warder, Downing, Elliott, Budd & Hansen); winter (Lowther).
Uses
Dessert and kitchen (Warder); market (Lowther).
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Lowther's station reporting data: Northern Division — none recorded; Central Division — 2 stations (reported in more than one division); Southern Division — 3 stations (reported in more than one division).
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)
— 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.
— 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).
— 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 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.