DR. HARVEY
Apple
DR. HARVEY
Origin and History
One of the oldest English varieties, first mentioned by Parkinson as "a faire, greate, goodly apple; and very well relished." Ralph Austin called it "a very choice fruit, and the trees beare well." The variety is referenced by nearly all early pomological authors. According to Ray, it is named in honour of Dr. Gabriel Harvey of Cambridge: "Pomum Harveianum ab inventore Gabriele Harveio Doctore nomen sortitum Cantabrigioe sues delicice."
Tree
Large and hardy with a tendency to bear prolifically. Described as "a great bearer."
Fruit
Size and Form: Large, three inches wide and approximately the same in height; ovate inclining to be angular.
Skin: Greenish yellow, dotted with green and white specks, marked with ramifications of russet about the apex.
Eye: Small, very slightly depressed, surrounded with several prominent plaits.
Stem: Short and slender, inserted in an uneven and deep cavity.
Flesh: White, firm, crisp, juicy, pleasantly acid and perfumed.
Core and Seeds: Not described in source.
Season
October to January.
Uses
A culinary apple of first-rate quality. When baked in an oven that is not too hot, the apples are most excellent; they become sugary and will keep a week or ten days, furnishing for the dessert a highly flavoured sweetmeat. Well-known and extensively cultivated in Norfolk and the north of England generally.
Book Sources
Described in 1 period pomological work
View original book sources (1)
— Woolhope Naturalists Field Club, The Herefordshire Pomona (1885)
- DR. HARVEY. [Syn : Harvey Apple]
This fine apple is one of the oldest English varieties. It is first mentioned by Parkinson as "a faire, greate, goodly apple ; and very well relished." Ralph Austin calls it "a very choice fruit, and the trees beare well." Indeed it is noticed by almost all the early authors. According to Ray, it is named in honour of Dr. Gabriel Harvey, of Cambridge : "Pomum Harveianum ab inventore Gabriele Harveio Doctore nomen sortitum Cantabrigioe sues delicice."
Description.—Fruit: large, three inches wide and about the same high ; ovate inclining to be angular. Skin : greenish yellow, dotted with green and white specks, and marked with ramifications of russet about the apex. Eye : small, very slightly depressed, and surrounded with several prominent plaits. Stalk : short and slender, inserted in an uneven and deep cavity. Flesh : white, firm, crisp, juicy, pleasantly acid and perfumed.
A culinary apple of first-rate quality, well known and extensively cultivated in Norfolk and the north of England generally. It is in season from October to January.
The tree is large, hardy, and a great bearer. In the "Guide to the Orchard" it is said of this apple : "When baked in an oven, which is not too hot, these apples are most excellent; they become sugary, and will keep a week or ten days, furnishing for the dessert a highly flavoured sweatmeat."