Fama Gusta
Apple
Fama Gusta
Origin / History
An apple imported from England, according to Coxe (1817), who adds that the tree "is said to have been brought from the Island of Cyprus." Downing calls it an old English sort. Elliott (1865) lists it as foreign.
Tree
Vigorous in growth. Coxe finds the form unsightly, the branches shooting irregularly in a horizontal direction; Downing calls the habit straggling.
Fruit
Size: Large (Coxe, Elliott); medium to large (Downing). Coxe likens it to the yellow Bellflower in size.
Form: Conical (Elliott); roundish oblong conical (Downing). Coxe says it somewhat resembles the yellow Bellflower in shape.
Stem: Stalk long, strongly attached both to the twig and to the fruit (Coxe).
Cavity: Deep and singularly guttered (Coxe).
Calyx: Not described in source.
Basin: Not described in source.
Skin: Smooth, pale green (Coxe); pale green also in Elliott. Downing gives deep yellow, with a faint red in the sun.
Dots: Not described in source.
Flesh and flavor: Flesh white, hard, with some acidity (Coxe); white and acid (Elliott). Downing gives yellowish, tender, sweet.
Core and seeds: Not described in source.
Season
October (Coxe, Elliott); November and December (Downing).
Uses
Good for cooking (Downing).
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 3 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 1 catalog (1845) from Massachusetts
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845
View original book sources (3)
— William Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817)NO. 19. FAMA GUSTA.
Is an apple imported from England, of a large size, somewhat resembling the yellow Bellflower in shape and size. The skin is smooth, of a pale green colour; the flesh white and hard, with some acidity—the stalk is long, and strongly attached both to the twig and fruit; it is inserted in a deep and singularly guttered cavity: the tree grows vigorously, but in an unsightly form, shooting its branches irregularly in a horizontal direction: the time of ripening is October; this tree is said to have been brought from the Island of Cyprus.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Fama Gusta. Foreign. Large, conical, pale green ; flesh, white, acid. October.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Fama Gusta.
An old English sort. Tree vigorous, straggling in habit.
Fruit medium to large, roundish oblong conical, deep yellow, faint red in sun. Flesh yellowish, tender, sweet. Good for cooking. November, December.