Long Island Pearmain
Apple
Long Island Pearmain
Origin/History
An old variety first described by William Coxe in 1817, who coined the name. Warder (1867) found it widely established in early orchards of Ohio and Indiana that lay within the sphere of influence of Silas Wharton's nursery, calling it "a good, profitable variety that has been overlooked in the rage for novelties." Downing notes that it has sometimes been confused with Winter Pearmain, which is an entirely different fruit — a confusion also flagged by Beach (1905). Beach records that by 1905 the variety had become obsolete in New York.
Tree
Large, spreading, very productive. (Warder.) Not described in other sources.
Fruit
Size: Warder describes the fruit as "full medium." Downing gives it as "large." Coxe, quoted by Beach, calls it "a handsome large apple, about the size of a Priestly." These accounts conflict; Warder stands alone in calling it medium-sized, while Coxe and Downing agree on large.
Form: Warder: round, elongated, tapering slightly from the base, always truncated at the apex, regular. Downing: roundish oblong. Coxe: oblong. The sources agree on an oblong to elongated-roundish shape.
Stem: The stem descriptions conflict. Warder gives the stem as long, with the cavity rather wide. Coxe (via Beach) states the stem is short and not deeply planted.
Cavity: Rather wide. (Warder.)
Calyx: Eye medium, open; segments long. (Warder.)
Basin: Warder: regular, wide, rather deep, slightly leather-cracked. Downing and Coxe both emphasize the large, hollow character of the crown — Downing calls it "a large hollow basin or crown," and Coxe writes "the crown large and hollow." This prominent hollow crown is consistently noted across all sources and appears to be a key identifying feature.
Skin: Warder: smooth, yellowish green ground, covered with dull red and striped with maroon; dots numerous, minute, gray; russet-veined towards the base. Downing: yellow ground, splashed and streaked with red, with some faint russet spots. Coxe (via Beach): "streaked with large blotches of red on a rich yellow ground, with faint russet spots." Warder describes the ground color as yellowish green; Downing and Coxe describe it as yellow. All sources agree on red streaking or blotching and faint russet spots.
Flesh: The sources conflict on texture. Warder: yellow, breaking, firm, not very juicy. Downing: coarse, tender, somewhat dry, aromatic. Coxe (via Beach): "tender, coarse and pleasant, partaking of that dryness characteristic of all the varieties of the pearmain." Warder describes the flesh as firm, while Downing and Coxe both characterize it as tender. All sources note the dry or low-juice quality. Coxe explicitly links this dryness to the pearmain character as a class trait.
Flavor: Sub-acid, aromatic, rich, agreeable. Quality: good. (Warder.) Coxe calls the flavor pleasant. Downing rates quality as Good and notes an aromatic quality.
Core: Medium, heart-shaped, regular, closed, not clasping. (Warder.)
Seeds: Numerous, large, plump, brown. (Warder.)
Season
Ripens in October; keeps through February or March. Warder gives the season as November through March. Downing gives October to February. Coxe (via Beach) says it ripens in October and keeps till March.
Uses
Family and market. (Warder.)
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 3 period pomological works
View original book sources (3)
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Long Island Pearmain. — [Coxe.] AUTUMN PEARMAIN, Thompson, according to Downing. — Winter Pearmain, Western markets.
An old variety found in all the early orchards of Ohio and Indiana, that were within the influence of Silas Wharton's nursery. A good, profitable variety that has been overlooked in the rage for novelties.
Tree large, spreading, very productive; Fruit full medium, round, elongated, tapering slightly from the base, always truncated at the apex, regular; Surface smooth, yellowish green, covered with dull red, and striped maroon; Dots numerous, minute, gray; russet-veined towards the base.
Basin regular, wide, rather deep, slightly leather-cracked; Eye medium, open; Segments long.
Cavity rather wide; Stem long.
Core medium, heart-shaped, regular, closed, not clasping; Seeds numerous, large, plump, brown; Flesh yellow, breaking, firm, not very juicy; Flavor sub-acid, aromatic, rich, agreeable; Quality good; Use, family and market; Season, November till March.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Long Island Pearmain. Hollow Crown Pearmain. An old variety, described by Coxe, and while it is somewhat extensively grown, has been sometimes confounded with Winter Pearmain, which is an entirely different fruit. Fruit large, roundish oblong, having a large hollow basin or crown, yellow, splashed and streaked with red, and some faint russet spots. Flesh coarse, tender, somewhat dry, aromatic. Good. October to February.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)LONG ISLAND PEARMAIN.
REFERENCES. 1. Coxe, 1817:144. fig. 2. Warder, 1867:682. 3. Downing, 1869:255.
SYNONYMS. Autumn Pearmain (2). Hollow Crown Pearmain (3). LONG ISLAND PEARMAIN (1, 2, 3). Winter Pearmain (2).
This is an old variety which Coxe (1) thus describes: "A handsome large apple, of an oblong form, about the size of a Priestly — the stem is short, not deeply planted; the crown large and hollow; the skin streaked with large blotches of red on a rich yellow ground, with faint russet spots — the flesh is tender, coarse and pleasant, partaking of that dryness characteristic of all the varieties of the pearmain — it ripens in October and keeps till March."
Downing (3) states that it has sometimes been confused with Winter Pearmain which is an entirely different fruit. So far as we can discover, Long Island Pearmain is now obsolete in New York.