Currant
Crab Apple
Currant
Origin / History
B. Desportes described Currant in The Horticulturist in 1856 as No. 12, under the heading "THE CURRANT CRAB —Pomme groscille." Hedrick (1922) states that "Downing first described the variety in 1857." Beach's references likewise begin with Downing (1857:229) and continue with Barry (1883:359), Bailey's Annals of Horticulture (1892:237), and Gibb in the Montreal Horticultural Society Report (1884:39). Downing's The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900) carries it as Currant Crab, in wording nearly identical to Desportes's. Beach, in The Apples of New York (1905), entered it as Currant. Hedrick calls Currant "little more than a curiosity."
Tree
Moderately vigorous, a good grower, with moderately long, slender, curved branches. Form upright spreading or roundish, open. Twigs long, curved, slender; internodes short. Bark dark brown, lightly mottled with scarf-skin, slightly pubescent near the tips. Lenticels quite numerous, medium size, roundish, slightly raised. Buds medium size, plump, acute, free, slightly pubescent.
Said to be hardier than Transcendent (Beach) and "one of the hardiest of the crabs" (Hedrick).
Comes into bearing young and is productive. Hedrick calls the trees vigorous and "remarkably productive." The fruits are borne in clusters, like currants.
Fruit
Size: Small or below medium (Beach). Desportes gives the fruits as "of the size of the currants."
Form: Round, a little compressed toward the two ends; somewhat oblate, regular, uniform.
Stem: Medium to long, rather slender (Beach); about half an inch long (Desportes).
Cavity: Obtuse, rather deep, broad, symmetrical, frequently russeted.
Calyx: Medium size, closed, sometimes deciduous; lobes rather narrow, acute (Beach). Desportes calls the eye large. Beach gives the calyx tube as broadly cone-shaped and short, and the stamens as marginal.
Basin: Rather deep, wide, abrupt, obscurely furrowed.
Skin: Thin, tough, smooth, glossy, striped with red. Beach gives the skin as yellow, striped with brilliant red, overspread with bluish bloom. Desportes describes the fruit as "red colored, slightly striped with deep red."
Dots: Numerous, small, pale or whitish.
Flesh and flavor: Flesh yellowish, firm, moderately fine, tender, dry, subacid. Beach rates the quality "medium to poor." Hedrick writes that "the flesh lacks the juiciness of a good crab, and the flavor does not commend it."
Core and seeds: Core medium to rather large, axile; cells closed; core lines clasping. Carpels roundish to elliptical, emarginate. Seeds light brown, medium to large, wide, somewhat obtuse.
Season
October and November.
Uses
Of no commercial value (Beach). Desportes calls it "ornamental in its flowers as well as its fruits." Hedrick holds that, "since the trees are vigorous, come in bearing young, and are remarkably productive, the variety might well be used in breeding."
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
USDA Nomenclature (1905)
From W.H. Ragan, Nomenclature of the Apple, USDA Bulletin No. 56
Mainly ornamental.
View original book sources (4)
— B. Desportes, The Horticulturist (1856)No. 12. THE CURRANT CRAB —Pomme groscille. The fruits of this kind of apple are of the size of the currants, and are borne like them, in clusters. They are round, a little compressed towards the two ends; the stem is about half an inch long; the eye is large; red colored, slightly striped with deep red; it is ornamental in its flowers as well as its fruits.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Currant Crab.
The fruits of this kind are of the size of currants, and are borne like them in clusters ; they are round, a little compressed towards the ends. Color red, slightly striped with deep red. It is ornamental in its flowers as well as its fruits.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)CURRANT.
REFERENCES. 1. Downing, 1857:229. 2. Barry, 1883:359. 3. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:237. 4. Gibb, Montreal Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1884:39.
SYNONYMS. CURRANT (2). CURRANT CRAB (1, 3). CURRENT CRAB (4). Pomme Groseille (1).
Fruit small, borne in clusters; said to be hardier than Transcendent. Of no commercial value. The tree is a good grower, comes into bearing young and is productive.
TREE. Tree moderately vigorous with moderately long, slender, curved branches. Form upright spreading or roundish, open. Twigs long, curved, slender; internodes short. Bark dark brown, lightly mottled with scarf-skin; slightly pubescent near tips. Lenticels quite numerous, medium size, roundish, slightly raised. Buds medium size, plump, acute, free, slightly pubescent.
FRUIT. Fruit small or below medium. Form somewhat oblate, regular, uniform. Stem medium to long, rather slender. Cavity obtuse, rather deep, broad, symmetrical, frequently russeted. Calyx sometimes deciduous, medium size, closed; lobes rather narrow, acute. Basin rather deep, wide, abrupt, obscurely furrowed. Skin thin, tough, smooth, glossy, yellow, striped with brilliant red, overspread with bluish bloom. Dots numerous, small, pale or whitish. Calyx tube broadly cone-shaped, short. Stamens marginal. Core medium to rather large, axile; cells closed; core lines clasping. Carpels roundish to elliptical, emarginate. Seeds light brown, medium to large, wide, somewhat obtuse. Flesh yellowish, firm, moderately fine, tender, dry, subacid, medium to poor. Season October and November.
— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)CURRANT. Currant is little more than a curiosity, its small fruits being borne in currant-like clusters. It is said to be one of the hardiest of the crabs, and, since the trees are vigorous, come in bearing young, and are remarkably productive, the variety might well be used in breeding. The flesh lacks the juiciness of a good crab, and the flavor does not commend it. Downing first described the variety in 1857.
Tree vigorous, upright-spreading or round, open, with long, slender, curved branches. Fruit small, oblate, regular, uniform; stem medium to long, slender; cavity obtuse, deep, broad, symmetrical, frequently russeted; calyx sometimes deciduous, closed; lobes narrow, acute; basin deep, wide, abrupt, obscurely furrowed; skin thin, tough, smooth, glossy, yellow, striped with brilliant red, overspread with bloom; dots numerous, small, pale; calyx-tube broadly cone-shape, short; stamens marginal; core medium to large, axile; cells closed; core-lines clasping; carpels round to elliptical, emarginate; seeds light brown, medium to large, wide, obtuse; flesh yellow, firm, fine, tender, dry, subacid; poor; October and November.