Gypsy Girl
AppleGypsy Girl
Origin / History
Gypsy Girl is of Russian origin; parentage is unknown. It was noted at Ottawa, Canada, as one of the hardiest, most vigorous, and productive of the Russian apples grown there, with fruit keeping until February (Budd & Hansen, 1914). It was subsequently received from the U.S. Northern Great Plains Field Station, Mandan, North Dakota, and was reported by two USDA stations: the U.S. Horticultural Field Station, Cheyenne, Wyoming (station number A52370), and the Northern Great Plains Field Station, Box 203, Mandan, North Dakota (station number 10576) (Fisher, 1963).
Tree
One of the hardiest, most vigorous, and most productive of the Russian apples in trials at Ottawa, Canada (Budd & Hansen). Hardy. Very susceptible to blight (Fisher).
Fruit
Size
Above medium to large (Budd & Hansen); large (Fisher).
Form
Irregular, oblate, angular (Budd & Hansen).
Stem
Short (Budd & Hansen).
Cavity
Regular, acute, with stellate russet (Budd & Hansen).
Calyx
Closed; segments connivent (Budd & Hansen).
Basin
Wide, rather shallow, angular, occasionally abrupt (Budd & Hansen).
Skin
Surface very highly colored. The ground color is a clear light waxen yellow, almost wholly covered with bright solid dark crimson on the sunny side; on the shady side the crimson is thinly marbled and mottled like a water-color painting. Dots distinct, few, minute, white (Budd & Hansen). Fisher (1963) describes the fruit as splashed with red.
Flesh / Flavor
Flesh snow-white, slightly stained next to the skin, very tender, breaking, juicy; flavor sprightly acid; quality good (Budd & Hansen). Fisher (1963) characterizes the flavor as subacid — a somewhat milder characterization than Budd & Hansen's "sprightly acid."
Core / Seeds
Core open; cells elliptical, slit, roomy; tube conical; stamens marginal; seeds large (Budd & Hansen).
Season
August, classed as a fall apple at Des Moines, Iowa (Budd & Hansen).
Storage
Keeps until February at Ottawa, Canada (Budd & Hansen).
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 2 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 1 catalog (1900)
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900 — listed as Gipsy Girl
View original book sources (2)
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Gipsy Girl. — Origin, Russia; one of the hardiest, most vigorous and productive of the Russian apples at Ottawa, Canada, where the fruit keeps till February. A fall apple at Des Moines, Iowa.
Fruit above medium to large, irregular, oblate, angular; surface very highly colored, a clear light waxen yellow, almost wholly covered with bright solid dark crimson on sunny side, on shady side the crimson is thinly marbled and mottled like a water-color painting; dots distinct, few, minute, white; cavity regular, acute, with stellate russet; stem short; basin wide, rather shallow, angular, occasionally abrupt; calyx closed; segments connivent. Core open; cells elliptical, slit, roomy; tube conical; stamens marginal; seeds large; flesh snow-white, slightly stained next to the skin, very tender, breaking, juicy, sprightly acid, good. August.
— H.H. Fisher (USDA ARS), A Survey of Apple Clones in the United States (1963)Gypsy Girl was received from the U.S. Northern Great Plains Field Station, Mandan, N.D. It is of Russian origin with parentage unknown. The fruit is large, splashed with red, subacid, and very susceptible to blight. Hardy. Reported by the U.S. Horticultural Field Station, Cheyenne, Wyoming (station number A52370) and the Northern Great Plains Field Station, Box 203, Mandan, North Dakota (station number 10576).