Equinetelee
Apple
Equinetelee
Origin / History
Origin Yancey County, North Carolina. "One of the best of the Southern apples" (Elliott). A fine southern apple, considered one of the best in the South; not yet sufficiently tested in the Northern States, but looked upon as having great promise in northern orchards, where it is somewhat introduced (Warder). Berckmans: "The finest of the late fall and winter apples." Thomas: "Valued South."
Tree
Trees bear a strong resemblance to those of the Buckingham (Warder).
Fruit
Size: Large.
Form: Oblate, conic, angular, slightly oblique; sometimes oblique. Thomas alone gives roundish, slightly oblate.
Stem: Short and fleshy.
Cavity: Broad or wide, deep.
Calyx: Closed; eye medium (Warder). Set in the basin.
Basin: Deep, rather narrow, irregular.
Skin: Whitish yellow to light yellow, mostly overspread with beautiful bright crimson, obscurely striped. Thomas gives "dark red or whitish-yellow."
Dots: Small, whitish, thinly sprinkled.
Flesh and flavor: Yellowish or pale yellow, very tender, almost melting, juicy. Flavor very mild sub-acid; "a very superior table fruit" (Warder). Thomas alone gives the flesh as coarse, with a sub-acid flavor.
Core and seeds: Not described in source.
Season
November to May (Downing, in Elliott). November to January in Georgia (Berckmans, in Warder).
Uses
Table fruit (Warder).
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Warder lists Bachelor among the names of Equinetelee. Elliott gives Batchelor a separate entry: from North Carolina; fruit very large, roundish, flattened, angular, lemon yellow, washed with lively red on the sunny side, gray dots, russet around the stem; stem short; cavity deep; calyx small, open; basin deep; flesh white, tender, fine-grained, juicy, mild, sub-acid; core medium; October, November; "Very valuable in Southern States."
Book Sources
Described in 3 period pomological works
USDA Nomenclature (1905)
From W.H. Ragan, Nomenclature of the Apple, USDA Bulletin No. 56
Possibly identical with: Buckingham
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 3 catalogs (1886–1913) from Alabama, Illinois
- Huntsville Wholesale Nurseries (Jessie S. Moss , Proprietor; W.F. Heikes, Manager), Huntsville , Alabama — 1886
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913
View original book sources (3)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Equinteley. Sol. Carter. Origin, Yancey Co., N. Carolina. One of the best of the Southern apples. Fruit, large, oblate, conic, angular, slightly oblique; skin, whitish yellow, mostly overspread with beautiful bright crimson, and thinly sprinkled with whitish dots; stalk, short and fleshy, inserted in a broad, deep cavity; calyx, closed, set in a deep, rather narrow, irregular basin; flesh, yellowish, very tender, almost melting, juicy, with a very mild, sub-acid flavor. November to May. (Downing.)
[Additional entry in this volume: "Batchelor", pp. 69–69]
Batchelor.
Gross, | King, erroneously.
From North Carolina. Fruit, very large, roundish, flattened, angular, lemon yellow, washed with lively red on sunny side, gray dots, russet around stem ; stem, short ; cavity, deep ; calyx, small, open ; basin, deep ; flesh, white, tender, fine-grained, juicy, mild, sub-acid; core, medium. October, November. Very valuable in Southern States.
[Additional entry in this volume: "Equinteley", pp. 79–80]
Equinteley. Sol. Carter.
Origin, Yancey Co., N. Carolina. One of the best of the Southern apples.
Fruit, large, oblate, conic, angular, slightly oblique; skin, whitish yellow, mostly overspread with beautiful bright crimson, and thinly sprinkled with whitish dots; stalk, short and fleshy, inserted in a broad, deep cavity; calyx, closed, set in a deep, rather narrow, irregular basin; flesh, yellowish, very tender, almost melting, juicy, with a very mild, sub-acid flavor. November to May. (Downing.)
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Equinetelee.
BACHELOR — BYERS — IOLA (Berckmans' M.S.) SOL. CARTEE (Downing.)
This fine southern apple has its origin traced to Yancey County, in North Carolina. It has not yet been sufficiently tested in the Northern States, but is considered one of the best in the South, and is looked upon as having great promise in our northern orchards, where it is somewhat introduced. Berckmans says : " The finest of the late fall and winter apples."
The trees bear a strong resemblance to those of the Buckingham.
Fruit large, oblate, sometimes oblique ; Surface light yellow, mostly covered with bright crimson, obscurely striped ; Dots small, white.
Basin deep, narrow, irregular ; Eye medium, closed.
Cavity wide, deep ; Stem short.
Flesh pale yellow, very tender, juicy, melting ; Flavor very mild sub-acid, making it a very superior table fruit, from November to January in Georgia, according to Berkmans.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Equinetely. Large, roundish, slightly oblate, dark red or whitish-yellow, stalk short, flesh yellowish, coarse, sub-acid. Valued South.