King Of The Pippins
AppleKing Of The Pippins
Origin / History
An English apple, though its precise origin is disputed. Bunyard (1920) notes that the variety is generally attributed to England, but remarks that "the history of this variety and the Reine des Reinettes of France, is a tangle which I have not yet been able to unravel." The name King of the Pippins was given by Kirke early in the nineteenth century. Bunyard further identifies this apple as the Golden Winter Pearmain of Hogg, noting that the original King of the Pippins was an earlier-ripening fruit, and that it cannot be the King apple of Rea (as Hogg suggests), since that variety ripens at the end of June. The variety is known in France as the Reinette d'Orée and in Germany as the Winter Gold Parmane, and is also called the Shropshire Pippin; it is cited in the Herefordshire Pomona at plate 14. Elliott (1865) notes it is often grown in the West under the name Gravenstein.
Tree
Growth: Moderate, upright (Bunyard). Not described in other sources.
Leaf: Rather small, slightly upfolded, finely serrate (Bunyard). Not described in other sources.
Fruit
Size: Medium (all sources agree).
Form: Roundish oblate (Downing; Elliott). Bunyard describes it as round, oblong — a somewhat differing characterization.
Stem: Moderately long, set in an even russet cavity (Bunyard). Not described by Downing or Elliott.
Cavity: Even, russet (Bunyard).
Calyx: Open (Bunyard).
Basin: Shallow, even (Bunyard).
Skin: Pale yellow, washed and striped with red (Downing). Yellow and red splashed (Elliott). Golden yellow, shaded reddish-brown (Bunyard). Sources agree on a yellow ground with red overcolor; Bunyard specifies golden yellow and a brown-red shade rather than a bright red wash.
Flesh / Flavor: Sources conflict. Downing describes the flesh as very firm, with a sharp subacid flavor, rating it Good despite characterizing the variety as of poor quality overall. Elliott describes the flesh as white, slightly sweet, and "not agreeable." Bunyard describes the flesh as creamy-yellow, firm, and juicy, with a distinct, slightly bitter flavor, and rates it a dessert apple. Flesh color: white (Elliott) vs. creamy-yellow (Bunyard).
Core / Seeds: Not described in any source.
Season
October–November (Downing; Elliott). October to December (Bunyard).
Uses
Dessert (Bunyard). Downing rates the variety Good. Elliott considers the flavor not agreeable. Downing additionally characterizes it as "poor quality," placing the variety at the lower end of acceptable dessert fruit.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in sources.
Other
Not described in sources.
Book Sources
Described in 3 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 7 catalogs (1897–1917) from England
- Kelway & Son , Langport, Somerset , England — 1897
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1900
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
- James Veitch & Sons , Ltd., Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, London (also Coombe Wood, Langley, and Feltham) , England — 1911
- Thomas Rivers & Son , Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire , England — 1913
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1914
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1917
View original book sources (3)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)King of the Pippins. Hampshire Yellow. An English fruit of poor quality, medium size, roundish oblate, pale yellow, washed and striped with red. Flesh very firm, sharp subacid. Good. October, November.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)King of the Pippins. Hampshire Yellow. Often grown West as Gravenstein. Medium, roundish oblate, yellow and red splashed; flesh, white, slightly sweet, not agreeable. October, November.
— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)KING OF THE PIPPINS. Her. Pom., 14. F., Reinette d Orée ; G., Winter Gold Parmane. (Shropshire Pippin.) Dessert, October to December, medium, round, oblong, Colour, golden yellow, shaded reddish-brown. Flesh, creamy-yellow, firm, juicy with a distinct slightly bitter flavour. Eye, open, in a shallow even basin. Stem, moderately long in an even russet cavity. Growth, moderate, upright. Leaf, rather small, slightly upfolded, finely serrate. Origin, this apple is generally attributed to England, but the history of this variety and the Reine des Reinettes of France, is a tangle which I have not yet been able to unravel. The name of King of the Pippins was given by Kirke early in the nineteenth century. This is the Golden Winter Pearmain of Hogg, the original King being an earlier fruit. It cannot be the King apple of Rea, as Hogg suggests as this ripens at the end of June.