Heritage Apple Corps
← All varieties

Lowell

Apple
USDA watercolor illustration of Lowell

USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection

Lowell

Origin / History

Lowell is an old apple of American origin. Where and when it arose is not known. Elliott calls it "American". Beach cites Elliott for "an old variety of American origin". Warder and Downing give the origin as unknown. Beach's earliest reference is the Cultivator of 1848. Hedrick says it had been under cultivation for at least a century and was generally distributed throughout the East and North.

The oily skin gave it the name of Tallow Apple or Greasy Pippin in some localities (Budd and Hansen). Hedrick calls Greasy Pippin and Tallow Pippin "expressive names", arising from the fruit's "most perceptible coating of wax."

Elliott wrote that "the early habit of productiveness, with the large fair fruit, will always command a place in large orchards, where this variety is known." Lowther's table reports it as adapted to or grown in more than one of the three divisions of the American Pomological Society. Beach found it quite generally known in many parts of the state, especially in Western New York. In his day it was still commonly listed by nurserymen but was being planted little, and its cultivation appeared to be on the decline. Hedrick calls it "now superseded by better sorts of its season," though it "was a most important variety in the apple orchards of a generation ago." The Central Experimental Farm at Agassiz, British Columbia, planted it under test in spring 1895.

Tree

Tree rather large, vigorous, thrifty, a rather strong and good grower. Habit spreading to upright-spreading, rather open; round-headed (Warder). Thomas alone calls the tree rather slender and a moderate grower. Hardy, healthy, and long-lived.

Wood reddish brown (Downing). Beach gives the bark as dark brown, mottled with scarf-skin, heavily pubescent. His twigs are long, curved, and moderately stout, with internodes medium. Lenticels numerous, small to medium in size, not raised. Buds prominent, medium to large, broad, plump, obtuse, pubescent. Foliage yellowish green (Warder).

Productive and an early bearer. Thomas speaks of its "great and early productiveness." Stark calls it prolific and says it bears very young. Beach calls it a reliable cropper, giving good crops biennially and sometimes annually. At Agassiz, British Columbia, it was a vigorous grower and productive. Elliott finds it most valuable on rich heavy soils.

Fruit

Size: Rather large to large, fairly uniform in size (Beach).

Form: Roundish oblong, slightly conical, the range extending to round, roundish oval, oblong-oval, and conic. Thomas adds obtuse; Warder and Budd and Hansen call it truncated. Warder calls the fruit regular and Budd and Hansen nearly regular. Beach finds it somewhat variable in shape, roundish oblong inclined to conic, unsymmetrical, irregular.

Stem: Medium to long, slender to moderately thick, about one inch long (Thomas), deflected to one side (Beach). Budd and Hansen alone call it short.

Cavity: Acute or approaching acuminate, narrow to rather broad, sometimes furrowed, occasionally compressed, often lightly russeted (Beach). Budd and Hansen note a trace of stellate russet. Downing gives it as deep and uneven, whereas Warder calls it medium, regular, and green. Beach gives it as rather shallow to moderately deep.

Calyx: Small to large, closed, nearly closed, or partly open. Most give closed. Elliott alone calls it small and nearly closed, and Beach gives medium to large, closed or partly open. Budd and Hansen note the segments connivent. Calyx tube rather long, rather wide, conical approaching funnelform (Beach); funnel-shaped (Budd and Hansen). Stamens median or nearly so according to Beach, basal according to Budd and Hansen.

Basin: Deep, abrupt, furrowed. Thomas describes it as furrowed or plaited inside, the rim obtuse and even. Warder calls it regular. Beach alone gives it as rather shallow to moderately deep, medium in width, somewhat abrupt, often slightly furrowed and wrinkled.

Skin: Thin, tender, smooth or with occasional russet dots and flecks (Beach). At first green, becoming rich, clear, bright waxen yellow; not blushed or bronzed (Warder). Surface waxy and oily: lightly oily (Thomas), "very unctuous at maturity" (Budd and Hansen), becoming greasy when kept indoors (Warder). Fair and bright; Hedrick calls the apples "very attractive in appearance."

Dots: Numerous to very numerous, small or minute. Beach finds them inconspicuous, brown or russet or submerged. Budd and Hansen call them distinct and white, and Warder calls them green.

Flesh and flavor: Yellowish white to yellow; greenish or tinged with yellow (Beach). Rather firm, crisp, tender, juicy to very juicy. Thomas calls it rather coarse, and Hedrick says "the flesh, while coarse, is pleasantly flavored." Beach in his summary calls it a little coarse. Warder calls it fine-grained, and Beach's technical description gives medium to rather fine-grained.

Flavor subacid, sprightly subacid (Beach), pleasant. Elliott gives "fine aroma" and Warder calls it aromatic. Downing describes "a brisk, rich, rather acid flavor," and Thomas gives "rich sub-acid, or rather acid." Agassiz calls it mildly subacid, "with a pleasant flavour."

Quality good to very good. Warder and Lowther's table say very good, and Agassiz says good. Thomas rates it "hardly first quality, but valuable for its fair surface and great and early productiveness."

Core and seeds: Core medium or small (Elliott) to rather large (Beach). Beach places it axile to somewhat abaxile. Warder gives it as oval and clasping. Core and cells closed. Core lines meeting or somewhat clasping (Beach). Cells elliptical, slit (Budd and Hansen). Carpels roundish to pointed obovate, emarginate (Beach).

Seeds numerous, angular, pointed, and pale (Warder); ovate (Elliott). Beach gives them as dark brown, not uniform in shape, medium size, obtuse to somewhat acute. Budd and Hansen alone call them few.

Season

August to October, early autumn, the season running from August into early September at one end to September and October at the other. Beach gives late August to October. He says it ripens in succession through a period of several weeks and is apt to drop as it ripens, and under favorable conditions a portion may be kept till winter. Hedrick says it furnishes fruit from late summer to early winter.

Uses

Table, cooking, drying, and market (Warder); kitchen and market (Lowther). Beach finds it desirable for either dessert or culinary uses, grown for home use and to a limited extent for local market. Hedrick calls it "preeminently an apple for the home orchard." Stark calls it "a market variety, excelling Maiden Blush."

Subtypes / Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Thomas marks the name with an asterisk. Lowther's table entry carries the reference number (10) and gives the form as "re." The Stark entry carries the designation "NCS."

Book Sources

Described in 8 period pomological works

Nursery Catalog Sources

Found in 23 catalogs (1845–1932) from Alabama, California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington

View original book sources (10)

Lowell. Orange, of some. Greasy Pippin, Tallow Apple, Queen Anne, Tallow Pippin, Pound Royal, erroneously.

American. The early habit of productiveness, with the large fair fruit, will always command a place in large orchards, where this variety is known. Trees, thrifty, rather strong growers, spreading; most valuable on rich heavy soils. Fruit, large; form, roundish oblong, slightly conical; color, green, becoming rich yellow; oily surface; stem, long, slender; cavity, narrow; calyx, small, nearly closed; basin, deep, furrowed; flesh, yellowish white, rather coarse, sub-acid, fine aroma; core, medium or small; seeds, ovate. August and early September.

— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)

Lowell.

TALLOW PIPPIN, QUEEN ANNE, &c.

Origin unknown.

Tree vigorous, healthy, round-headed; Foliage yellowish green.

Fruit large, round, slightly conic, truncated, regular; Surface smooth, waxy yellow, not blushed or bronzed, becoming greasy when kept indoors; Dots numerous, green.

Basin deep, abrupt, regular; Eye medium, closed.

Cavity medium, regular, green; Stem long, slender.

Core medium, oval, closed, clasping; Seeds numerous, angular, pointed, pale; Flesh yellow, tender, fine-grained, juicy; Flavor sub-acid, aromatic; Quality very good; Use, table, cooking, drying, market; Season, August, September.

— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)

Lowell. Michigan Golden. Tallow Apple. Greasy Pippin. Golden Pippin of some.

Origin unknown. Tree hardy, vigorous, spreading, productive, wood reddish brown. Fruit large, roundish oval or conic, bright waxen yellow, oily. Stalk of medium length. Cavity deep, uneven. Basin deep, abrupt, and furrowed. Calyx closed. Flesh yellowish white, with a brisk, rich, rather acid flavor. Good to very good. September, October.

— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)

Lowell.* (Orange, Tallow Apple, Tallow Pippin, Queen Anne, of Northern Ohio.) Large, roundish-oblong, obtuse, slightly conical; green, becoming rich yellow; surfaces lightly oily; stalk one inch long; basin deep, furrowed or plaited inside, rim obtuse, even; flesh yellowish white, rather coarse, rich sub-acid, or rather acid; hardly first quality, but valuable for its fair surface and great and early productiveness. Early autumn. Tree rather slender and a moderate grower.

— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)

LOWELL.

REFERENCES. 1. Cultivator, 5:246. 1848. 2. Cole, 1849:109. 3. Thomas, 1849:157. 4. Waring, 1851:27. 5. Barry, 1851:285. 6. Elliott, 1854:88. fig. 7. Hooper, 1857:55. 8. Gregg, 1857:46. fig. 9. Downing, 1857:166. 10. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1862. 11. Warder, 1867:576. 12. Fitz, 1872:145. 13. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:294. 14. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:243. 15. Mich. Sta. Bul., 105:108. 1894. 16. Lyon, Ib., 118:60. 1895. 17. Burrill and McCluer, Ill. Sta. Bul., 45:330. 1896. 18. N. C. Ed. Agr. Bul., 1900:7. 19. Kan. Sta. Bul., 106:53. 1902. 20. Mo. Fr. Sta. Bul., 3:27. 1902. 21. Powell and Fulton, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 48:48. 1903. 22. Farrand, Mich. Sta. Bul., 205:45. 1903. 23. Budd-Hansen, 1903:117. 24. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:130. 1904.

SYNONYMS. Greasy Pippin (6, 9, 16, 22, 24, of some 23). LOWELL (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24). Lowell (1). LOWELL (Pippin) (14). Orange (1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, of some 6). Pound Royal (2, 7, erroneously 6). Queen Anne (1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 11, of Northern Ohio 3, of Ohio 5). Tallow (2, 7). TALLOW APPLE (1). Tallow Apple (3, 6, 9, of some 23). Tallow Pippin (3, 5, 6, 11, 15, 24).

Fruit rather large; clear yellow with waxy surface. Flesh a little coarse, very juicy, sprightly subacid and desirable for either dessert or culinary uses. It ripens in succession through a period of several weeks and is apt to drop as it ripens. Its season extends from late August to October and under favorable conditions a portion of the fruit may be kept till winter (24). The tree is a good grower, hardy, long-lived and a reliable cropper giving good crops biennially and sometimes annually. This fruit is grown for home use and to a limited extent for local market.

Historical. Lowell is an old variety of American origin (6) which is quite generally known in many parts of the state, especially in Western New York. It is still commonly listed by nurserymen, but is being planted but little and its cultivation appears to be on the decline.

TREE. Tree rather large, vigorous. Form upright spreading, rather open. Twigs long, curved, moderately stout; internodes medium. Bark dark brown, mottled with scarf-skin; heavily pubescent. Lenticels numerous, small to medium size, not raised. Buds prominent, medium to large, broad, plump, obtuse, pubescent.

FRUIT. Fruit large, fairly uniform in size but somewhat variable in shape. Form roundish oblong inclined to conic, unsymmetrical, irregular. Stem medium to rather long, moderately thick, deflected to one side. Cavity acute or approaching acuminate, rather shallow to moderately deep, medium to rather broad, sometimes furrowed, occasionally compressed, often lightly russeted. Calyx medium to large, closed or partly open. Basin rather shallow to moderately deep, medium in width, somewhat abrupt, often slightly furrowed and wrinkled. Skin thin, tender, smooth or with occasional russet dots and flecks, waxy, at first green but eventually becoming rich yellow. Dots very numerous, small, inconspicuous, brown or russet or submerged. Calyx tube usually rather long, rather wide, conical approaching funnelform. Stamens median or nearly so. Core rather large, axile to somewhat abaxile; cells closed; core lines meeting or somewhat clasping. Carpels roundish to pointed obovate, emarginate. Seeds dark brown, not uniform in shape, medium size, obtuse to somewhat acute. Flesh greenish or tinged with yellow, rather firm, medium to rather fine-grained, crisp, tender, very juicy, sprightly subacid, good to very good. Season August to October.

— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)

Lowell.—Origin unknown; tree vigorous, spreading, productive, the oily skin gives it the name of Tallow Apple or Greasy Pippin in some localities.

Fruit large, roundish oblong, nearly regular, truncated, slightly conical; surface rich bright, waxen yellow, very unctuous at maturity; dots distinct, numerous, minute, white; cavity deep, uneven, acute with trace of stellate russet; stem short; basin abrupt, deep, furrowed; calyx closed; segments connivent. Core closed; cells elliptical, slit; tube funnel-shaped; stamens basal; seeds few; flesh yellowish white, pleasant, brisk rather acid flavor, good to very good. September, October.

— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)

Lowell (10). Size: large. Form: re. Quality: very good. Use: both kitchen and market. Season: early autumn. N. Div.: 4* (reported as adapted to or grown in more than one of the three divisions of the American Pomological Society).

— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)

LOWELL. Greasy Pippin. Tallow. Tallow Pippin. Though now superseded by better sorts of its season, Lowell was a most important variety in the apple orchards of a generation ago. It is preeminently an apple for the home orchard, since it furnishes fruit for dessert or cooking from late summer to early winter. The flesh, while coarse, is pleasantly flavored, and the large, bright-yellow apples, with a most perceptible coating of wax, giving rise to the expressive names Greasy Pippin and Tallow Pippin, are very attractive in appearance. Where and when it originated is not known, but it has been under cultivation for at least a century and is generally distributed throughout the East and North. Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, open. Fruit large, uniform in size but variable in shape, round-oblong, conic, unsymmetrical, irregular; stem long, thick, deflected to one side; cavity acute, shallow, broad, often russeted; calyx large, closed or partly open; basin shallow, medium in width, abrupt, often furrowed and wrinkled; skin thin, tender, smooth or with occasional russet dots and flecks, waxy, rich yellow; dots numerous, inconspicuous, brown, russet or submerged; calyx-tube long, wide, conical; stamens median; core large, axile to abaxile; cells closed; core-lines meeting or clasping; carpels obovate, emarginate; seeds dark brown, medium in size, obtuse; flesh yellow, firm, fine-grained, crisp, tender, very juicy, sprightly subacid; good to very good; August to October.

— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)

Planted Spring 1895. Tree a vigorous grower and productive. Fruit large, oblong, oval. Skin yellow and oily. Flesh yellow, firm, crisp, juicy, mildly sub-acid, with a pleasant flavour, quality good. Season September and October.

— Central Experimental Farm, Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz BC — Catalogue of Fruit Trees under Test (Bulletin No. 3, 1900) (1900)

Large, clear yellow with a waxy surface; juicy, sprightly, and desirable for either dessert or culinary purposes; prolific and bears very young. A market variety, excelling Maiden Blush. NCS

— Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co., Stark Bros. Year Book (1910) (1910)
Golden Pippin of some Greasy Pippin Lowell Orange Michigan Golden Orange Pound Royal Queen Anne Tallow Tallow Apple Tallow Pippin Maiden's Blush Marigold McAFEE Michigan Golden Monmouth Pippin Mother Newark Pippin Ohio Nonpareil Orange Orange Pippin Ortley Oslin Pound Royal Raspberry Red Cheek Rhode Island Greening Stone Pippin Summer Pound Royal White Pippin White Seek-no-further White Spanish Reinette Winter Pearmain Yellow Bellflower Yellow Ingestrie Yellow Pippin