Heritage Apple Corps
← All varieties

Patten

Apple
USDA watercolor illustration of Patten

USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection

Patten

Origin / History

Patten is a seedling of Oldenburg, originated by C. G. Patten of Charles City, Iowa. The seed was grown near Portage, Wisconsin, and planted by Patten at Charles City in the fall of 1869 (Hansen; Beach, on the authority of Patten's descriptive circular of 1891). Hedrick says it originated from seed of Oldenburg planted by C. G. Patten, Charles City, Iowa, "about 1885." Beach gives 1885 as the year the variety was first illustrated and described in the originator's autumn catalogue, when stock was first offered for sale. Hansen describes it under the name "Patten Greening (Duchess No. 3)."

Hansen reports that the Minnesota State Horticultural Society had recently put it on the list recommended for general cultivation as of first degree of hardiness. In 1899 it was entered in the catalogue of the American Pomological Society as a valuable variety for the Upper Mississippi valley. Beach calls it valuable in the northern portions of the apple-growing regions of the country on account of its hardiness, its productiveness, and the uniformly large size of its fruit. He records it grown as far north as the Red River valley of Minnesota and North Dakota, and in other regions where the winters are correspondingly severe. In 1905 he found it "as yet but little disseminated in New York" and "worthy of trial in the colder regions of the state." Hedrick calls it "much grown in cold regions where the apple-list is short." He also states that it resembles Oldenburg in shape and flavor of fruit and in tree characters, though the fruit is green.

Tree

Hardy and productive. Of somewhat stronger growth than Oldenburg, with limbs strongly shouldered. Beach describes it as moderately vigorous, with moderately long, somewhat stout, curved, drooping branches. Form spreading, dense, flat. Twigs rather short, somewhat curved, moderately stout or rather slender; internodes medium to long. Bark brownish red with some olive-green, lightly streaked with scarf-skin, slightly pubescent. Lenticels scattering, small, roundish, sometimes raised. Buds medium size, plump, acute, free, slightly pubescent. As grown at Beach's station it comes into bearing moderately young and is an annual cropper, yielding moderate to full crops.

Lowther records yields in gallons, year by year from 1898 through 1905, for five trees of "Patten's Greening" planted in 1892. Tree 1 gave 27.0, 2.0, 35.0, 1.5, 71.0, 15.0, 84.0, and 34.0. Tree 2 gave 2.0, 6.0, 14.0, 19.0, 24.0, 55.5, 7.5, and 66.0. Tree 3 gave 2.0, 31.0, 1.5, 40.5, 22.0, 67.0, 26.0, and 69.0. Tree 4 gave 13.0 in 1898, none recorded in 1899, 6.5 in 1900, none recorded in 1901, and then 62.0, 15.0, 45.0, and 45.0. Tree 5 had none recorded in 1898, then gave 19.0, 1.5, 17.5, 21.0, 54.0, and 75.0, with none recorded in 1905. The totals, labeled "total yield 1899-1905," are 269.5, 194.0, 259.0, 186.5, and 188.0 gallons respectively.

Fruit

Size: Medium to large, pretty uniform in size and shape (Beach); Hansen calls it large.

Form: Oblate or roundish oblate, sometimes inclined to conic. Usually regular and pretty symmetrical according to Beach; Hansen calls it irregular, obscurely angular.

Stem: Very short to medium in length, moderately thick (Beach); Hansen gives short to very short.

Cavity: Acuminate (Beach) or acute (Hansen), deep or sometimes medium in depth, rather broad or compressed, russeted and with outspreading russet rays. Hansen calls it regular.

Calyx: Large or very large. Closed or somewhat open (Beach); open (Hansen). Calyx tube conical to funnel-shaped (Beach); Hansen calls it narrow and funnel-shaped. Stamens median to basal (Beach).

Basin: Deep to medium in depth, abrupt. Beach gives it as medium in width, often abrupt, usually smooth and symmetrical; Hansen calls it broad and slightly wavy.

Skin: Moderately thin, tough, smooth. Clear pale greenish yellow (Beach) or yellowish green (Hansen). Sometimes blushed and occasionally faintly striped; Hansen gives the blush as bronze. Beach calls it attractive in color for a green apple.

Dots: Small to minute, numerous. Beach describes them as pale and submerged or brownish; Hansen as white, mostly with green bases on the shaded side. Hansen states that "at state fair displays the green dots readily distinguish this variety from McMahon which has white dots."

Flesh and flavor: Flesh white (Hansen) or tinged with yellow (Beach), moderately firm, a little coarse, rather tender, juicy. Flavor sprightly subacid. Beach credits it with "good texture" and rates it "good in quality especially for culinary purposes" and "very good in quality for culinary use." Hansen calls it "good for table, excellent for cooking."

Core and seeds: Core below medium to small, axile or somewhat abaxile (Beach). Cells sometimes unsymmetrical, closed or partly open (Beach); Hansen calls the core closed. Core lines clasping. Carpels roundish, irregular. Seeds dark brown, medium or above, plump, obtuse (Beach).

Season

October to January.

Uses

Primarily a culinary apple: Beach rates it good "especially for culinary purposes," and Hansen calls it "excellent for cooking" and "good for table." Beach values it for planting in the northern portions of the apple-growing regions, where its hardiness, productiveness, and uniformly large fruit count.

Subtypes / Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Not described in source.

Book Sources

Described in 5 period pomological works

Nursery Catalog Sources

Found in 11 catalogs (1900–1921) from Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon

View original book sources (5)

Patten Greening (Duchess No. 3)—A seedling of Oldenburg; seed grown near Portage, Wisconsin, and planted in fall of 1869, by C. G. Patten, Charles City, Iowa; tree productive, of somewhat stronger growth than Oldenburg, with limbs strongly shouldered. The Minnesota State Horticultural Society has recently put it on the list recommended for general cultivation as of first degree of hardiness—Fruit large, roundish oblate, irregular, obscurely angular; surface yellowish green, with bronze blush; dots minute, white, mostly with green bases on shaded side; cavity regular, acute, russeted; stem short to very short; basin broad, slightly wavy, abrupt; calyx open. Core closed, small, clasping; tube narrow, funnel-shaped; stamens median; flesh white, juicy, sprightly subacid, good for table, excellent for cooking. October to January. At state fair displays the green dots readily distinguish this variety from McMahon which has white dots.

— N.E. Hansen, A Study of Northwestern Apples (1902)

PATTEN.

REFERENCES. 1. Watrous, Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1889:124. 2. Patten, C. G., Descriptive Circular, 1891. 3. Taylor, Me. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1892:60. 4. Me. Sta. Rpt., 1892:90. 5. Macoun, Can. Hort., 22:396. 1899. 6. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1899:19. 7. Macoun, Can. Dept. Agr. Rpt., 1901:98. 8. Munson, Me. Sta. An. Rpt., 18:84. 1902. 9. Hansen, S. D. Sta. Bul., 76:81. 1902. fig. 10. Budd-Hansen, 1903:145. fig. 11. Ragan, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 56:226. 1905.

SYNONYMS. Duchess No. 3 (2, 9, 10). PATTEN (11). Patten's Duchess No. 3 (11). PATTEN GREENING (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9). Patten Greening (11). PATTEN Greening (10).

A seedling of Oldenburg which, on account of its hardiness, productiveness and the uniformly large size of its fruit is valuable in the northern portions of the apple-growing regions of the country (1, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10). It is grown as far north as the Red River valley of Minnesota and North Dakota and in other regions where the winters are correspondingly severe. It is attractive in color for a green apple, has a sprightly subacid flavor and good texture and is very good in quality for culinary use. The tree is a somewhat stronger grower than Oldenburg, with limbs strongly shouldered (2, 9, 10). As grown at this Station it comes into bearing moderately young and is an annual cropper, yielding moderate to full crops. It is worthy of trial in the colder regions of the state.

Historical. Originated by C. G. Patten, Charles City, Ia. (2), who states that it is a seedling of the Oldenburg from seed grown near Portage, Wis., and planted by him at Charles City, Ia., in the fall of 1869. It was first illustrated and described in the catalogue of the originator in the autumn of 1885 when stock of this variety was first offered for sale. In 1899 it was entered in the catalogue of the American Pomological Society as a valuable variety for the Upper Mississippi valley (6). It has as yet been but little disseminated in New York.

TREE. Tree moderately vigorous with moderately long, somewhat stout, curved, drooping branches. Form spreading, dense, flat. Twigs rather short, somewhat curved, moderately stout or rather slender; internodes medium to long. Bark brownish-red with some olive-green, lightly streaked with scarf-skin; slightly pubescent. Lenticels scattering, small, roundish, sometimes raised. Buds medium size, plump, acute, free, slightly pubescent.

FRUIT. Fruit medium to large, pretty uniform in size and shape. Form oblate or roundish oblate, sometimes inclined to conic, usually regular, pretty symmetrical. Stem very short to medium in length, moderately thick. Cavity acuminate, deep or sometimes medium in depth, rather broad or compressed, russeted and with outspreading russet rays. Calyx large or very large, closed or somewhat open. Basin deep to medium in depth, medium in width, often abrupt, usually smooth and symmetrical. Skin moderately thin, tough, smooth, clear pale greenish-yellow, sometimes blushed and occasionally faintly striped. Dots small, numerous, pale and submerged or brownish. Calyx tube conical to funnel-shape. Stamens median to basal. Core below medium to small, axile or somewhat abaxile; cells sometimes unsymmetrical, closed or partly open; core lines clasping. Carpels roundish, irregular. Seeds dark brown, medium or above, plump, obtuse. Flesh tinged with yellow, moderately firm, a little coarse, rather tender, juicy, sprightly subacid, good in quality especially for culinary purposes. Season October to January.

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

Patten Greening (Duchess No. 3). — A seedling of Oldenburg; seed grown near Portage, Wis., and planted in fall of 1869 by C. G. Patten, Charles City, Iowa; tree productive, of somewhat stronger growth than Oldenburg, with limbs strongly shouldered. The Minnesota State Horticultural Society has recently put it on the list recommended for general cultivation as of first degree of hardiness.

Fruit large, roundish oblate, irregular, obscurely angular; surface yellowish green, with bronze blush; dots minute, white, mostly with green bases on shaded side; cavity regular, acute, russeted; stem short to very short; basin broad, slightly wavy, abrupt; calyx open. Core closed, small, clasping; tube narrow, funnel-shaped; stamens median; flesh white, juicy, sprightly subacid, good for table, excellent for cooking. October to January.

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

Apples—Patten's Greening (planted, 1892)—yielded in gallons. Tree 1: 27.0 in 1898, 2.0 in 1899, 35.0 in 1900, 1.5 in 1901, 71.0 in 1902, 15.0 in 1903, 84.0 in 1904, 34.0 in 1905; total yield 1899-1905, 269.5. Tree 2: 2.0 in 1898, 6.0 in 1899, 14.0 in 1900, 19.0 in 1901, 24.0 in 1902, 55.5 in 1903, 7.5 in 1904, 66.0 in 1905; total yield 1899-1905, 194.0. Tree 3: 2.0 in 1898, 31.0 in 1899, 1.5 in 1900, 40.5 in 1901, 22.0 in 1902, 67.0 in 1903, 26.0 in 1904, 69.0 in 1905; total yield 1899-1905, 259.0. Tree 4: 13.0 in 1898, none recorded in 1899, 6.5 in 1900, none recorded in 1901, 62.0 in 1902, 15.0 in 1903, 45.0 in 1904, 45.0 in 1905; total yield 1899-1905, 186.5. Tree 5: none recorded in 1898, 19.0 in 1899, 1.5 in 1900, 17.5 in 1901, 21.0 in 1902, 54.0 in 1903, 75.0 in 1904, none recorded in 1905; total yield 1899-1905, 188.0.

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

PATTEN.

Patten Greening.

Patten is a seedling of Oldenburg, which it resembles in shape and flavor of fruit and in tree-characters. The color of the fruit, however, is green. The variety is much grown in cold regions where the apple-list is short. Patten originated from seed of Oldenburg planted by C. G. Patten, Charles City, Iowa, about 1885.

Tree vigorous, spreading, dense, flat, with long, stout, curved, drooping branches. Fruit medium to large, uniform in size and shape, oblate or round-oblate, sometimes conic, usually regular, symmetrical; stem short, thick; cavity acuminate, deep, broad or compressed, russeted and with outspreading russet rays; calyx large or very large, closed or open; basin deep, medium in width, abrupt, usually smooth and symmetrical; skin thin, tough, smooth, pale greenish-yellow, sometimes blushed and occasionally faintly striped; dots small, numerous, pale and submerged; calyx-tube conical; stamens median; core small, axile or abaxile; cells symmetrical, closed or partly open; core-lines clasping; carpels round, irregular; seeds dark brown, plump, obtuse; flesh yellow, firm, coarse, tender, juicy, sprightly subacid; good; October to January.

— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)
Duchess No. 3 Patten Greening Patten Greening (Duchess No. 3) Patten's Crimson Patten's Duchess No. 3 Patten's Greening