Ingram

Origin/History

Originated with Martin Ingram near Springfield, Greene County, Missouri, from seed of the Rails (Geniton) — also recorded as Rawls Janet — between 1844 and 1855. The variety attracted considerable attention in the Southwest in the late nineteenth century on account of its excellent keeping qualities, and has been largely planted for commercial purposes in the Ozark region, where it is said to be exceptionally promising. Like the Rails it blooms late in the season, and older trees are apt to bear rather small fruit unless the crop is thinned. The fruit is of the Rails type but averages larger and is more highly colored, being nearly red. In quality it ranks about with York Imperial; in flavor it is much like Rails but less juicy. It has not been sufficiently tested in New York to determine its value there, and since it is so similar to its parent, Rails, it is probably less well adapted to northern regions than to more southern localities.

Tree

Tree vigorous, with long, moderately stout branches. Form upright or roundish, rather dense. Productive. Twigs medium to long, straight, rather stout; internodes medium or below. Bark olive-green partly covered with clear brownish-red, lightly mottled with scarf-skin. Lenticels numerous, large, generally round, raised, very conspicuous. Buds medium, broad, flat, obtuse, appressed, pubescent, deeply set in the bark.

Fruit

Size and Form: Usually about medium, sometimes large; Downing records fruit as medium or below. Form roundish conic to roundish oblate, symmetrical. Downing describes it as roundish oblate; Thomas as roundish conical; Beach records both forms as occurring.

Stem: Rather short. Beach notes it varies from thick and swollen to moderately slender; Downing describes the stalk as slender; Thomas records the stem as short and stout.

Cavity: Acuminate, varying from medium in depth and width to deep and broad, sometimes partly russeted, obscurely furrowed. Thomas records the cavity as regular and of medium depth.

Calyx: Beach records the calyx as large and open. Downing records the calyx as small. Thomas does not characterize its size.

Basin: Pretty regular, moderately deep, medium in width to rather narrow, moderately abrupt. Thomas records the basin as medium. Thomas also notes slight leather-cracking.

Skin: Rather thick and tough, smooth. Base color bright greenish-yellow or pale yellow (Beach); Downing describes the ground color as orange yellow; Thomas as yellow. Washed, mottled, and striped with two shades of red, and clouded with whitish scarf-skin over the base. Highly colored specimens are nearly overspread with rather dark red. Downing describes the red as broken stripes of rich warm red with slight marblings; Thomas as splashed and striped crimson. Dots numerous, whitish or areolar with russet center, rather conspicuous; Downing describes them as gray russet dots.

Flesh and Flavor: Flesh somewhat tinged with yellow (Beach; Thomas records it as yellowish), firm and hard but becoming crisp and tender when fully ripe. Juicy (Beach, Thomas); Downing records it as moderately juicy. Flavor very mild subacid, somewhat aromatic; good to very good. Thomas describes the texture as fine.

Core and Seeds: Core medium to rather small (Beach), axile; cells symmetrical, closed or nearly so; core lines meeting or slightly clasping. Carpels roundish, tufted. Downing records the core as above medium. Seeds medium in size, rather wide, acute, tufted; Downing records the seeds as dark brown. Calyx tube conical or somewhat funnel-form. Stamens basal.

Season

February to June, or later. Thomas records as late winter.

Uses

Especially valued for long keeping. Recommended for commercial planting in the Ozark region of Missouri and the broader Southwest. Considered good for southern localities generally.

Subtypes/Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Not described in source.