McLELLAN
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
McLELLAN
Origin / History
McLELLAN originated in Woodstock, Connecticut. Beach, citing Leavenworth in the Horticulturist (1847) and Hovey (1854), says the original tree was planted in a seedling orchard there about 1780. Early accounts also knew it as the Martin. Beach (1905) says it "has been sparingly disseminated and is known locally in various parts of New York state," but is now seldom offered by nurserymen and little propagated. He judged it "a very choice dessert apple, handsome, fragrant, tender and excellent in quality." He did not recommend it for extensive commercial planting, though in some cases it might be grown to a limited extent with profit.
Tree
Tree medium in size, upright, with long, moderately stout branches; form erect, roundish, open. Thrifty, handsome (Downing), but of moderate growth, only moderately vigorous. Beach thinks it would probably be an advantage to topwork it on some more vigorous and longer-lived stock, such as Northern Spy or Baldwin.
Twigs medium to long, erect, stout, generally somewhat curved; internodes short to medium. Young shoots dull grayish reddish brown, slightly downy (Downing). Bark dull, very dark reddish-brown, sometimes tinged with green, overlaid with rather heavy scarf-skin, rather heavily pubescent. Lenticels quite numerous, not very conspicuous, medium to small, roundish, sometimes a little raised. Buds above medium to large, rather deeply set in the bark, broad, flat, obtuse to somewhat acute, free, very pubescent (Beach).
Productive to very productive; comes into bearing young. Elliott and Downing call it an annual bearer; Beach calls it a reliable biennial bearer yielding good crops. The fruit drops easily from the tree. In Lowther's station table it is reported from 4 stations in the Northern Division and also from another division.
Fruit
Size: Medium to large. Most authors give medium or somewhat above, with Thomas allowing "rather large"; Beach places it above medium to large, uniform in size and shape.
Form: Round or nearly round to roundish oblate, slightly conic. Very regular and fair, though Budd and Hansen call it sometimes unequal. Beach gives roundish oblate to roundish conic, rather broad and flat at the base, symmetrical or nearly so, regular to elliptical.
Stem: Short to medium, slender, three-fourths of an inch long (Thomas).
Cavity: Round, rather deep to deep, symmetrical or regular, sometimes a little furrowed, smooth. Thomas calls it narrow, Beach and Budd and Hansen rather wide to wide. It is acute to acuminate (Beach) or obtuse (Budd and Hansen).
Calyx: Small to medium, closed to half open, most often nearly closed. Lobes long and acuminate (Beach); segments erect convergent (Budd and Hansen). The calyx tube is funnel-form with a wide limb or sometimes elongated (Beach), or long, narrow, open to the core (Budd and Hansen). Stamens basal to median (Beach) or marginal (Budd and Hansen).
Basin: Medium to rather small, narrow to moderately wide, moderately shallow to deep, abrupt, nearly round or sometimes angular. Slightly plaited, waved, or slightly uneven, sometimes distinctly furrowed and wrinkled (Beach). Budd and Hansen call it smooth and medium deep.
Skin: Smooth (Thomas), tough, waxen (Beach). Ground yellow: bright straw color (Elliott), or pale yellow or greenish (Beach). Mostly striped, marbled, mottled, and splashed with lively clear red. Beach describes it as blushed and mottled with bright light red, splashed and striped with bright carmine. Budd and Hansen describe it as mostly covered with dark crimson, solid on the sunny side. Highly colored specimens are almost entirely red and very attractive. Handsome. The color often remains greenish (Beach).
Dots: Numerous, small, whitish or russet. Mostly inconspicuous (Beach), or distinct and raised (Budd and Hansen).
Flesh and flavor: Flesh white or nearly white to yellowish white, tinged with yellow; moderately fine-grained to fine-grained, tender to very tender, juicy. Moderately firm and moderately crisp (Beach). Fragrant. Flavor mild, slightly subacid, agreeable, pleasant. Downing gives "a fine vinous flavor, almost saccharine"; Beach gives "almost sweet, excellent in flavor." Thomas finds it "not very rich." When the fruit remains greenish the flavor is inferior (Beach). Most authors rate it "very good," and Beach "excellent in quality"; Elliott calls it nearly "best."
Core and seeds: Core medium (Elliott) to below medium to small (Beach), axile or nearly so. Cells closed or partly open, not uniformly developed, usually pretty symmetrical; core lines clasping the funnel cylinder. Carpels smooth, roundish to elliptical, narrowing toward the base and apex, slightly emarginate (Beach). Budd and Hansen give the core closed, cells ovate. Seeds small to rather small, obtuse, smooth, dark (Beach); short, plump (Budd and Hansen).
Season
The recorded season runs from October into March; an early-winter to winter apple. Elliott and Downing carry it from November or December to March. Beach begins it in October and ends it in January or February, sometimes March. He says it comes into season a little later than Maiden Blush and may keep till January or February.
Uses
A dessert apple, "very good for dessert" (Beach); Lowther lists it for both kitchen and market. When properly colored it is well adapted to fancy market and fruit-stand trade (Beach). The fruit shows bruises readily and must be handled with extra care. Because it drops easily, it should be picked as soon as colored, and in some cases it may pay to make two pickings (Beach).
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 6 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 2 catalogs (1901–1913) from Illinois
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913
View original book sources (6)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)McLellan. Martin.
From Woodstock, Conn. Trees, moderate growth, annual productive bearers. Fruit, medium, round ; bright straw color, striped and marbled with lively red ; stem, short, slender ; cavity, round ; calyx, nearly closed ; basin, medium, slightly plaited ; core, medium ; seeds, small ; flesh, white, fine-grained, tender, mild sub-acid ; nearly "best." November to March.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)McLellan. Martin. Origin, Woodstock, Conn. Tree thrifty, upright, very productive, annual bearer, and handsome. Young shoots, dull grayish reddish brown, slightly downy.
McLellan. Fruit medium or above, roundish oblate, slightly conic, very regular, and fair. Color yellow, mostly striped, marbled, and splashed with red. Stalk short, inserted in a rather deep cavity. Calyx small, nearly closed. Basin moderate, slightly uneven. Flesh white, very tender, juicy, with a fine vinous flavor, almost saccharine. Very good. December to March.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)McLellan. (Martin.) Medium in size or rather large, nearly round, smooth, regular; striped and mottled with lively clear red on yellow ground; stalk three-fourths of an inch long, slender; cavity narrow; basin narrow, waved; seeds small; flesh nearly white, fine grained, very tender, slightly sub-acid, agreeable, but not very rich. Early winter. Very productive. Connecticut. Fig. 420.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)McLELLAN.
REFERENCES. 1. Leavenworth, Horticulturist, 2:26. 1847. fig. 2. Thomas, 1849:169. 3. Cole, 1849:125. 4. Emmons, Nat. Hist. N. Y., 3:67. 1851. 5. Hovey, Mag. Hort., 20:508. 1854. fig. 6. Elliott, 1854:147. 7. Downing, 1857:87. 8. Hooper, 1857:57. 9. Warder, 1867:726. 10. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1871:8. 11. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:294. 12. Taylor, Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1895:193. 13. Burrill and McCluer, Ill. Sta. Bul., 45:309, 330. 1896. 14. Farrand, Mich. Sta. Bul., 205:42. 1903. 15. Budd-Hansen, 1903:120. fig.
SYNONYMS. Martin (1, 2, 6, 7). MCCLELLAN (1, 5). MCLELAN (8, 9). MCLELLAN (2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15).
A very choice dessert apple, handsome, fragrant, tender and excellent in quality. It comes into season a little later than Maiden Blush and may keep till January or February. When properly colored it is well adapted for fancy market and fruit-stand trade but when the color remains greenish, as it often does, the flavor is inferior. The fruit shows bruises readily and must be handled with extra care. It drops easily from the tree and on this account should be picked as soon as colored. In some cases it may pay to make two pickings. The tree comes into bearing young and is a reliable biennial bearer yielding good crops. It is only a moderately vigorous grower and probably it would be an advantage to topwork it upon some more vigorous and longer-lived stock, such as Northern Spy or Baldwin. It is not recommended for extensive commercial planting but in some cases it may be grown to a limited extent with profit.
Historical. The original tree was planted in a seedling orchard in Woodstock, Conn., about 1780 (1, 5). It has been sparingly disseminated and is known locally in various parts of New York state, but it is now seldom offered by nurserymen (12) and is little propagated.
TREE. Tree medium in size, moderately vigorous with long and moderately stout branches. Form erect, roundish, open. Twigs medium to long, erect, stout, generally somewhat curved; internodes short to medium. Bark dull, very dark reddish-brown, sometimes tinged with green and overlaid with rather heavy scarf-skin; rather heavily pubescent. Lenticels quite numerous, not very conspicuous, medium to small, roundish, sometimes a little raised. Buds above medium to large, rather deeply set in the bark, broad, flat, obtuse to somewhat acute, free, very pubescent.
FRUIT. Fruit above medium to large; uniform in size and shape. Form roundish oblate to roundish conic, rather broad and flat at the base, symmetrical or nearly so, regular to elliptical. Stem short to medium, slender. Cavity acute to acuminate, rather wide, deep, symmetrical, sometimes a little furrowed, smooth. Calyx small to medium, partly open or closed; lobes long, acuminate. Basin medium to rather small, abrupt, moderately shallow to deep, rather narrow to moderately wide, nearly round or sometimes angular, sometimes distinctly furrowed and wrinkled. Skin tough, waxen, pale yellow or greenish, blushed and mottled with bright light red splashed and striped with bright carmine. Highly colored specimens are almost entirely red and very attractive. Dots numerous but mostly inconspicuous, whitish or russet. Calyx tube funnel-form with wide limb or sometimes elongated. Stamens basal to median. Core below medium to small, axile or nearly so; cells not uniformly developed, usually pretty symmetrical, closed or partly open; core lines clasping the funnel cylinder. Carpels smooth, roundish to elliptical narrowing toward the base and apex, slightly emarginate. Seeds rather small, obtuse, smooth, dark. Flesh tinged with yellow, moderately firm, very tender, moderately fine-grained, juicy, moderately crisp, almost sweet, excellent in flavor, very good for dessert. Season October to January or February or sometimes to March.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)McLellan. — Origin, Woodstock, Connecticut; tree a thrifty upright grower, very productive, an annual bearer.
Fruit medium or above, regular, roundish oblate, regular, sometimes unequal; surface yellow, mostly covered with dark crimson, marbled, splashed, and striped, solid on sunny side; dots distinct, numerous, raised russet, small; cavity rather deep, regular, wide, obtuse; stem medium, rather slender; basin smooth, medium deep; calyx half open; segments erect convergent. Core closed; cells ovate; tube long, narrow, open to core; stamens marginal; seeds short, plump; flesh yellowish white, very tender, juicy, pleasant, vinous subacid, almost saccharine, very good. December to March.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)McLellan. Size: medium. Form: roundish (oblate). Color: yellow. Quality: very good. Use: both kitchen and market. Season: winter. Northern Division: 4 stations reporting (also reported in another division).