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Cornish Gilliflower

Apple

Cornish Gilliflower

Origin / History

An old English apple (Downing). Thomas calls it English; Elliott calls it foreign. Probably Cornish in origin, introduced to notice about 1813 (Bunyard); the George Bunyard catalog of 1914 calls it "an old Cornish sort, brought to notice in 1813." Bunyard holds it probably not the July flower of Evelyn. The 1901 George Bunyard catalog calls it "a local fancy sort."

Tree

Growth slender (Bunyard). Habit straggling (George Bunyard catalog, 1914). Tree a poor grower (Downing). Leaf upward held, upfolded (Bunyard). Bears on the points of the shoots, "fruiting only on end of shoots" in Veitch's words. A shy or poor bearer by most accounts, "unfortunately rather a shy bearer" (Veitch); Bunyard alone calls it moderately fertile. Requires good treatment and a warm climate, and is best as a standard or free bush (Bunyard).

Fruit

Size: Medium; Thomas alone calls it rather large. Bunyard gives 2¾ by 3.

Form: Roundish to round, conical, narrowing much to the eye, where it is ribbed; irregular (Bunyard). Elliott calls it oblong ovate.

Stem: Fairly long (Bunyard).

Cavity: Small (Bunyard).

Calyx: Eye closed (Bunyard).

Basin: Deep, ribbed (Bunyard).

Skin: Pale yellowish green, dull green, dark yellowish green, or greenish yellow, with a brown or brownish-red cheek on the sunny side, intermixed with a few streaks of richer red (Downing). Streaked dull red with russet (Bunyard); "dull yellow red stripes and russet" (George Bunyard catalog, 1914). Thomas calls the stripes dull.

Dots: Not described in source.

Flesh and flavor: Flesh yellowish, yellow, or pale yellow; firm; juicy (Veitch). Flavor rich to very rich and aromatic, in Downing's words "a rich, high flavor, and a slight aromatic perfume." Veitch calls it "sugary and highly aromatic," and the 1914 George Bunyard catalog also calls it highly aromatic. Elliott alone calls the flesh acid. Downing rates it "Good." The other verdicts are higher: "very richly flavoured" and "of delicious flavour" (Bunyard), "a very fine apple" (Veitch), and "grand flavour" (George Bunyard catalog, 1901).

Core and seeds: Not described in source.

Season

Winter. The recorded season runs from November into May. Most authors begin it in November and end it in February, March, or April; Bunyard gives December to May.

Uses

Dessert.

Subtypes / Variants

Not described in source.

Other

The 1901 George Bunyard catalog offered standards at 3/6. Bunyard cites "Her. Pom., p. 41."

Book Sources

Described in 4 period pomological works

Nursery Catalog Sources

Found in 6 catalogs (1845–1913) from England, Illinois, Massachusetts

View original book sources (7)

Cornish Gilliflower.

Cornish July Flower, | Pomme Regelans, | Egg Top, of some.

Foreign. Medium, oblong ovate, pale yellowish green, brown cheek; flesh, yellowish, acid. November to February.

— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)

Cornish Gilliflower.

Cornish July-flower. Pomme Regelans. Red Gilliflower. Calville d'Angleterre. Cornwallisser. Nelken Apfel.

An old English Apple. Tree a poor grower and shy bearer.

Fruit medium size, roundish, conical, narrowing much to the eye where it is ribbed, dull green, or dark yellowish green, with a sunny side of brownish red, intermixed with a few streaks of richer red. Flesh yellowish, firm, with a rich, high flavor, and a slight aromatic perfume. Good. November to April.

— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)

Cornish Gilliflower, or Red Gilliflower. Rather large, conic, ribbed; dull stripes; flesh yellow, firm, very rich, aromatic. Winter. English. A poor bearer.

— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)

CORNISH GILLYFLOWER. Her. Pom., p. 41. F., Calville d'Angelterre; G., Cornwalliser Nelken (Regelans). Dessert, December to May, 2¾ by 3, medium, round, conical, irregular. Colour, greenish-yellow, streaked dull red with russet. Flesh, firm, pale yellow, very richly flavoured. Eye, closed in a deep ribbed basin. Stem, fairly long in a small cavity. Growth, slender; moderately fertile. Leaf, upward held, upfolded. Origin, probably Cornish, introduced to notice about 1813. Probably not the July flower of Evelyn. Of delicious flavour; requires good treatment and a warm climate. Best as a standard or free bush.

[Additional entry in this volume: "Cornish Gillyflower", pp. 50–51]

CORNISH GILLYFLOWER. Her. Pom., p. 41. F., Calville d'Angelterre ; G., Cornwalliser Nelken (Regelans). Dessert, December to May, 2¾ by 3, medium, round, conical, irregular. Colour, greenish-yellow, streaked dull red with russet. Flesh, firm, pale yellow, very richly flavoured. Eye, closed in a deep ribbed basin. Stem, fairly long in a small cavity. Growth, slender ; moderately fertile. Leaf, upward held, upfolded. Origin, probably Cornish, introduced to notice about 1813. Probably not the July flower of Evelyn. Of delicious flavour ; requires good treatment and a warm climate. Best as a standard or free bush.

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

Medium, a local fancy sort of grand flavour, but a shy bearer. Standards, 3/6.

— George Bunyard & Co., George Bunyard Fruit Catalogue (1901) (1901)

medium size, juicy, sugary and highly aromatic, a very fine apple, but unfortunately rather a shy bearer, fruiting only on end of shoots ... Nov. to April

— James Veitch & Sons, Veitch's Fruit Trees (1911) (1911)

Dessert; Nov.-Mar. Medium, conical, dull yellow red stripes and russet; flesh firm, highly aromatic; habit straggling, bearing on points of shoots. An old Cornish sort, brought to notice in 1813.

— George Bunyard & Co., George Bunyard Catalog of Fruit Trees (1914) (1914)
Calville d'Angelterre Calville d'Angleterre Cornish Gillyflower Cornish July Flower Cornish July-flower Cornwalliser Nelken Cornwalliser Nelken (Regelans) Cornwallisser Egg Top July Flomer July Flower Nelken Apfel Pomme Regelans Red Gilliflower Egg Top Equinetelee Gilliflower Kaighn's Spitzenburg Powers Red Gilliflower Scollop Gilliflower Striped Gilliflower Vandevere Winter Pearmain WINTER QUEENING