Court Pendu Plat

Origin / History

A popular French variety (Downing; Thomas describes it as "French"). Elliott classes it simply as "Foreign." Bunyard records its origin as of great antiquity — known in the sixteenth century, and possibly dating from Roman days. Bunyard also notes that its very late flowering habit gave rise to the name "Wise Apple."

Tree

Slender in habit, an early and prolific bearer (Elliott); the tree bears young and plentifully (Downing). Bunyard describes the growth as small with good fertility. It is the latest of all apples to flower — hence its traditional name, "Wise Apple" — a habit which often enables it to escape early frosts. Bunyard notes it is one of the best varieties for a heavy clay soil. Leaf rather small, much upward cupped, sharply serrate (Bunyard).

Fruit

Size: Medium (Elliott, Downing, Thomas; George Bunyard catalog). Bunyard (Handbook) gives the dimensions as smallish, 2¼ by 1¾ inches.

Form: Regular and flat (Elliott); regularly formed and quite flat (Downing); oblate and regular (Thomas); flat and regular (Bunyard Handbook); flattened (George Bunyard catalog).

Stem / Stalk: Short (Elliott); short, inserted in a very deep cavity (Downing); very short in a deep cavity (Bunyard).

Cavity: Deep (Elliott, Downing, Bunyard).

Calyx / Eye: Calyx large (Elliott, Downing); eye open in a very deep even basin (Bunyard).

Basin: Wide and shallow (Elliott, Downing); very deep and even (Bunyard). Sources thus disagree on basin depth — Elliott and Downing describe it as shallow, while Bunyard describes it as very deep.

Skin / Colour: Pale greenish yellow, crimson in the sun (Elliott); rich, deep crimson on the sunny side, with a little pale greenish yellow in the shade (Downing); deep red (Thomas); yellow covered with dull red flush and slight russet (Bunyard Handbook); pale and striped red on pale yellow (George Bunyard catalog); medium crimson (Veitch). Veitch also describes it as handsome.

Flesh / Flavor: Flesh yellow, crisp, sprightly, with little acid; rated "Very good" (Elliott). Flesh yellow, crisp, with a rich brisk acid flavor; rated "Good" (Downing). Rich, brisk sub-acid (Thomas). Flesh yellow, firm, of rich flavour (Bunyard Handbook). Juicy and of fine flavour, "one of the best" (Veitch). George Bunyard catalog describes it as "a first-rate dessert sort," tender and fairly hardy.

Core / Seeds: Not described in source.

Season

November to February (Elliott, Downing). Early winter (Thomas). October to December (George Bunyard catalog). Bunyard's Handbook records it as a dessert apple keeping till April. Veitch notes the time of ripening is late and that it is long keeping.

Uses

Dessert (Bunyard Handbook; George Bunyard catalog describes it as a first-rate dessert sort). Valued for its late flowering habit allowing it to escape early frosts, and recommended for heavy clay soils (Bunyard Handbook).

Subtypes / Variants

Not described in source.

Other

The George Bunyard catalog appends the parenthetical code "(H, B.T., P.)" alongside its entry.