French Pippin

Origin / History

Of unknown origin (Downing). The name French Pippin has been applied to several varieties of the Fall Pippin group, which vary in season from autumn till late spring or early summer and are characterized by rather large, roundish or oblong fruit that is at first green but later assumes more or less of a yellowish tone, is sometimes slightly blushed, and has yellowish subacid flesh (Beach). Thomas (1903) treats French Pippin as synonymous with Newark Pippin, directing readers to that entry without further description; Downing, however, explicitly states that the variety he describes is "quite distinct from Newark or French Pippin, which has slender branches," and acknowledges that "there are several apples under the name of French Pippin, and it is difficult to decide which has priority to the name, except as connected with the oldest description."

An apple of the French Pippin class is described by Beach as the Lehigh Greening, the name under which it has been disseminated within recent years from Allentown, Pennsylvania. Some believe that the Lehigh Greening is identical with an old variety grown in portions of Southeastern Pennsylvania under the name French Pippin. The variety described in detail by Beach — grown in some parts of New York under the name French Pippin — bears a very close resemblance to the Lehigh Greening and possibly is identical with it; comparisons of fruit from various localities had been made as of 1905 but the question of identity had not been definitively resolved. It had also not been determined whether the New York variety described by Beach is the French Pippin of Southeastern Pennsylvania, nor whether it is the variety referred to by Warder (1867) and Downing (1857) as the French Pippin of Pennsylvania.

Tree

Tree medium in size to rather large, moderately vigorous (Beach); hardy and vigorous (Downing). A biennial or in some cases an annual bearer, reliable cropper and productive (Beach). Form upright, somewhat spreading (Beach). Shoots dark reddish brown (Downing). Twigs medium in length, erect, moderately stout; bark rather dark (Beach).

Fruit

Size and Form

Fruit large to very large (Beach); rather large (Downing), pretty uniform in size and shape (Beach). Form roundish to roundish oblate (Beach; Downing), faintly ribbed, pretty regular; sides sometimes slightly unequal (Beach).

Stem

Stem short, moderately thick (Beach).

Cavity

Cavity acute to acuminate, moderately deep to deep, narrow to rather wide, thinly russeted, sometimes compressed or lipped (Beach).

Calyx

Calyx medium in size, somewhat open; lobes acuminate (Beach). Calyx tube long, funnel-form, sometimes approaching cone-shape, with very wide limb. Stamens median (Beach).

Basin

Basin abrupt, shallow to moderately deep, medium in width to rather wide, smooth or gently furrowed and slightly wrinkled (Beach).

Skin

Skin tough, thin, smooth (Beach). Color bright pale yellow or greenish-yellow (Beach); greenish yellow with a faint dull cheek (Downing). Marked with numerous, conspicuous russet or green dots (Beach); Downing describes the surface as thinly sprinkled with large brown dots and showing traces of russet. Often with a thin brownish blush (Beach); Downing notes a faint dull cheek.

Flesh and Flavor

Flesh nearly as yellow as that of Fall Pippin (Beach); yellowish (Downing). Firm, rather fine-grained, tender, crisp, juicy, sprightly with an agreeable subacid flavor, good to very good in quality (Beach). Downing describes the flesh as tender, pleasant, and subacid, rating it Good.

Core and Seeds

Core rather small (Beach; Downing agrees: "core small"), slightly abaxile; cells fairly symmetrical, closed or partly open; core lines clasping (Beach). Carpels roundish, slightly emarginate. Seeds broad, obtuse (Beach).

Season

Downing gives the season as October to January. Beach, describing the New York variety, gives the season as January to May or June and characterizes it as "a very late keeper" whose fruit is "large, brightly colored and attractive for a yellow apple." These two seasonal ranges are in direct conflict and likely reflect the multiple distinct varieties that circulated under the French Pippin name.

Uses

Described as good to very good in quality (Beach); good (Downing). The late-keeping character noted by Beach (in season from January to May or June in the New York form) would suit it for winter and spring use.

Subtypes / Variants

Not described as discrete named subtypes in the sources, but Beach's extended discussion establishes that "French Pippin" as used in the literature encompasses at least two or three distinct varieties: (1) the old Southeastern Pennsylvania French Pippin, possibly identical to the Lehigh Greening; (2) a variety grown in parts of New York described by Beach as a very late keeper in season January to May or June; and (3) the variety described by Downing (season October–January, dark reddish brown shoots), which Downing explicitly distinguishes from the Newark Pippin form. The relationships among these three remain unresolved in the sources.

Other

Downing notes the variety has dark reddish brown shoots as a distinguishing feature, and explicitly contrasts it with "Newark or French Pippin, which has slender branches" — a useful vegetative distinction when multiple forms are encountered under the same name. Beach notes the fruit is "large, brightly colored and attractive for a yellow apple," and that it was being grown and compared across multiple New York localities as of 1905. Beach references Warder (1867, p. 19) and Downing (1857, p. 144) as earlier authorities on the French Pippin of Pennsylvania.