Hunge

Origin & History

Origin uncertain, popular and long cultivated in North Carolina. Warder's described specimens were received from W. S. Carpenter, New York.

Tree

Vigorous and very productive (Downing).

Fruit

Size: Large to rather large; Warder describes it as above medium.

Form: Roundish. Warder describes it as roundish, conic, and unequal. Thomas describes it as roundish, somewhat irregular and oblique.

Skin: Smooth. Sources disagree on ground color: Warder describes it as greenish-yellow; Thomas as bright yellow with a faint delicate blush; Downing and Elliott as green with a blush. Dots numerous, minute, distinct, whitish, and indented (Warder).

Stem: Warder describes the stem as long, slender, and green. Thomas describes it as half an inch long.

Cavity: Wide, wavy, brown (Warder).

Calyx: Eye medium, closed (Warder).

Basin: Warder describes the basin as abrupt, wavy, and folded. Thomas describes it as rather deep, slightly ribbed.

Flesh & Flavor: Greenish-yellow, tender, fine-grained, juicy, sub-acid. Warder describes the flavor as "sub-acid, rich, very agreeable" and rates the quality as "best." Thomas describes the flesh as "fine-grained, tender, sub-acid" and rates it "very good." Downing describes it as "soft, subacid, pleasant" and rates it "Good." Elliott describes it as "soft, sub-acid, pleasant."

Core & Seeds: Core very wide, closed, clasping the eye; axis short; seeds angular, pale (Warder).

Season

September and October. Warder gives the season as October only.

Uses

Table and kitchen (Warder). Downing notes it is valuable for drying and culinary uses.

Subtypes & Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Warder's description is accompanied by an illustration (Fig. 203).