Court Pendu Plat
AppleCourt Pendu Plat
Origin / History
Foreign; a French variety, called "a popular French variety" by Downing. Of great antiquity: known in the sixteenth century, and possibly dating from Roman days. The George Bunyard & Co. catalog of 1914 says "dating certainly from 16th century." The name Wise Apple, in E.A. Bunyard's account, comes from its being "the latest of all to flower." He calls Court Pendu Plat "a valuable sort."
Tree
Tree slender (Elliott), small in growth and compact, forming a medium-sized pyramid (Veitch). Bears young and early, prolific, a good bearer. Succeeds as a standard; Veitch says it "succeeds well as an orchard standard." Leaf rather small, much upward cupped, sharply serrate (E.A. Bunyard).
Bloom very late: "the latest of all to flower" (E.A. Bunyard), "one of the latest flowering varieties known" (Veitch). The blossoms thereby escape destruction by spring frosts. E.A. Bunyard says the late flowering habit "often" enables it to escape early frosts, and calls it one of the best for a heavy clay soil.
Fruit
Size: Small to medium. Most authors call it medium; E.A. Bunyard gives smallish, 2¼ by 1¾, and the George Bunyard catalog says small.
Form: Regular, flat to quite flat, oblate; flat and round (George Bunyard catalog).
Stem: Short to very short.
Cavity: Deep to very deep.
Calyx: Large. Eye open (E.A. Bunyard).
Basin: Elliott and Downing give a wide, shallow basin; E.A. Bunyard gives a very deep, even basin.
Skin: Pale greenish yellow to yellow in the shade, with rich deep crimson to deep red on the sunny side, the red sometimes covering nearly all but a little of the ground. E.A. Bunyard describes it as yellow covered with a dull red flush and slight russet, and the George Bunyard catalog as russet with a red cheek. Handsome (Veitch).
Dots: Not described in source.
Flesh and flavor: Flesh yellow, crisp, firm. Flavor rich, brisk, sprightly, highly flavored. Downing calls it "a rich brisk acid flavor," Thomas "rich, brisk sub-acid," and Elliott "sprightly, little acid." Quality "Very good" (Elliott); "Good" (Downing).
Core and seeds: Not described in source.
Season
The recorded season runs from November into April. Most authors give an early-winter season, November or December through February or March. Veitch and E.A. Bunyard carry it to April, and Veitch calls it long-keeping.
Uses
Dessert.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
E.A. Bunyard's entry gives the reference Ronalds, p. 12.
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 8 catalogs (1897–1917) from England, Illinois
- Kelway & Son , Langport, Somerset , England — 1897
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1900
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- James Veitch & Sons , Ltd., Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, London (also Coombe Wood, Langley, and Feltham) , England — 1911
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1914
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1917
View original book sources (6)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Court-pendu Plat
Court-pendu, Cour pendu Extra, Garnon's Apple, Cour pendu, Rouge Musqué, Cour Pendu, Rond Gros, Pomme de Berlin, " " Musqué, Russian, Coriandra Rose, Princisse Noble Zoete. Wollaton Pippin, Capendu,
Foreign. Tree, slender, early and prolific bearer. Fruit, medium regular, flat; pale greenish yellow, crimson in sun; stem, short; cavity, deep; calyx, large; basin, wide, shallow; flesh, yellow, crisp, sprightly, little acid. "Very good." November to February.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Court Pendu Plat.
Court-pendu. Court-pendu Musqué. Court-pendu plat rougeatre. Rouge Musqué. Capendu. Coriandre Rose. Garnon's Apple. Pomme de Berlin. Court-pendu Extra. Wollaton Pippin. Rond Gros. Russian. Rose. Princess Noble Zoete.
A popular French variety.
Fruit of medium size, regularly formed, and quite flat. Skin rich, deep crimson on the sunny side, with a little pale greenish yellow in the shade. Stalk short, inserted in a very deep cavity. Calyx large, set in a wide shallow basin. Flesh yellow, crisp, with a rich brisk acid flavor. Good. The tree bears young and plentifully. November to February.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Court Pendu Plat. Medium, oblate, regular, deep red; rich, brisk sub-acid. Early winter. French.
— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)COURT PENDU PLAT. Ronalds, p. 12. G., Koeniglicher Kurzstiel. (de Bertin, Garnons, Wise Apple, Court Queue, Wollaton Pippin, etc., etc.) Dessert, till April, smallish, 2¼ by 1¾, flat, regular. Colour, yellow covered with dull red flush and slight russet. Flesh, yellow, firm, rich flavour. Eye, open in a very deep even basin. Stem, very short in a deep cavity. Growth, small; fertility, good. The latest of all to flower, hence its name, Wise Apple. Leaf, rather small, much upward cupped, sharply serrate. Origin, of great antiquity; known in the sixteenth century, and possibly dating from Roman days. A valuable sort, its late flowering habit often enabling it to escape early frosts. One of the best for a heavy clay soil.
— James Veitch & Sons, Veitch's Fruit Trees (1911) (1911)medium size, handsome and long-keeping, the tree forms a medium-sized pyramid, is a good bearer and succeeds well as an orchard standard, it is one of the latest flowering varieties known and hence the blossoms escape destruction by spring frosts ... Nov. to April
— George Bunyard & Co., George Bunyard Catalog of Fruit Trees (1914) (1914)Dessert; Dec.-Mar. Small, flat and round, russet with red cheek; flesh firm, highly flavoured; compact, prolific, late flowering; succeeds as standards; of great antiquity, dating certainly from 16th century and possibly from Roman days.