Pennock
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Pennock
Origin / History
Of Pennsylvania origin. Coxe (1817) says it obtained its name from a family in Pennsylvania who first cultivated it. Beach says it is said to have been first cultivated by Joseph Pennock, of Springfield township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Hedrick says it appears to have originated on the farm of Joseph Pennock, Delaware County, about 1800, and that the earliest account of it is Coxe's of 1817.
Coxe calls it "much admired as an early winter fruit" and a popular apple in the Philadelphia market. Beach adds that it was formerly grown to a considerable extent in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Elliott (1865) found it "largely grown through the Southwest, but intelligent persons do not now plant it." Warder (1867) admitted it to his collection "not … on account of its excellence, but because it is so universally cultivated in nearly all parts of the country."
Beach calls it an old variety, long known among New York fruit growers by the names Pennock, Pennick, Penick, and Phoenix. He distinguishes it from the true Phoenix, a distinct variety that apparently has never been known among New York fruit growers. By his time Pennock was found in New York principally in old orchards and was seldom planted, and he did not recommend it for planting in New York.
Hedrick calls it an old sort, at one time a familiar inhabitant of Pennsylvania and New York, and widely distributed, though not largely planted, in other apple regions. He says the variety fails because of the poor quality of the fruit and its susceptibility to a physiological trouble known as "Baldwin spot."
Tree
Large, strong, vigorous to often very vigorous, regular, symmetrical, upright-spreading; Beach gives the size as large or medium. Coxe says the tree grows very large, "the form regular, spreading finely, with great beauty, equal to any trees in our orchards." Beach calls it hardy and very long-lived. Hedrick names hardiness, longevity, and vigor as its outstanding tree characters.
Very productive, a great and constant bearer, bearing some fruit every year. Beach adds that it comes into bearing rather young and is a reliable cropper, usually yielding heavy crops biennially.
The fruit is very much disposed to bitter rot (Warder). Beach finds it much subject to the trouble commonly known as "Baldwin Spot," for which no remedy is known.
Fruit
Size: Rather large to very large, most authors giving large. Downing calls it quite large and Coxe very large. Pretty uniform in size and shape (Beach). Hedrick counts large size among its outstanding characters.
Form: Variable, generally flat or oblate, often inclined to conic, varying to roundish, roundish conical, or slightly or occasionally roundish oblong. Sometimes obscurely ribbed or elliptical; Elliott calls it angular. Warder gives it as characteristically conic-oblate, often unequal and lop-sided, where Beach finds it usually pretty regular.
Oblique (Downing). Hedrick names the oblique axis among its outstanding characters, and Beach records the axis as sometimes oblique. Coxe calls the form "singular": when the fruit stands on its end, the axis inclines twelve to fifteen degrees from a perpendicular line.
Stem: Short, moderately thick, not exserted.
Cavity: Deep, medium in size, acute or approaching acuminate, moderately narrow to wide, regular or usually symmetrical. Green or russeted, sometimes with outspreading russet rays.
Calyx: Medium to large. Warder calls the eye large and open; Beach gives it as closed or partly open. Lobes medium to long, acute, connivent or varying to flat and convergent, pubescent.
Calyx tube rather large, moderately wide, usually conical, sometimes approaching truncate funnel-shape; stamens basal to nearly median (Beach).
Basin: Beach gives it as medium in size, shallow to medium in depth, rather narrow to moderately wide, somewhat abrupt, sometimes obtuse, often a little furrowed or slightly wrinkled. Warder found it wide, rather deep, uneven or wavy.
Skin: Rather thick, tough, smooth. Ground yellow or greenish yellow, covered with mixed and striped red. Beach gives the red as washed and mottled, rather indistinctly striped with carmine, and somewhat mottled and streaked with thin scarf-skin. Well-colored specimens are almost wholly covered with bright deep red.
The red is given as deep red to fine deep red with small, faint, indistinct streaks of dull yellow (Coxe, Downing), or as dull red with little yellow (Elliott; Hedrick names dull red color as an outstanding character). Coxe adds small black clouds and light spots on the side next the sun. Fair and attractive in appearance.
Dots: Numerous, conspicuous, large, gray or yellowish, often areolar with russet point; Warder calls them irregular and round.
Flesh and flavor: Yellow or yellowish, coarse-grained to somewhat coarse, firm, rather crisp or breaking, tender, juicy to rather juicy. Elliott's entry, alone against the juicy flesh of the other accounts, reads "flesh, coarse, dry rot."
Flavor subacid to mild subacid, nearly sweet, half sweet, or sweet. Coxe calls the flesh "rich" and "sweet," and Downing gives "a pleasant half sweet flavor." Beach finds the flavor "lacking in character," while Hedrick lists "distinct flavor" among its outstanding characters.
Quality runs from "Good" (Downing) through "fair to good" and "only fair to good" (Beach, who ranks it "but second or third rate in quality") down to "poor quality" (Hedrick) and Warder's "poor; third quality."
Core and seeds: Core small, axile; cells uniformly developed, closed; core lines meeting or slightly clasping. Warder found the core irregular, closed, meeting the eye.
Carpels ovate to roundish obcordate, emarginate, sometimes tufted (Beach). Seeds medium to large, moderately narrow, rather long, plump, somewhat acute, rarely tufted; Warder calls them numerous and angular.
Season
The recorded season runs from November into April or May. It is an early-winter fruit that keeps well (Coxe). Most authors give November to March, and Warder gives December alone. Beach extends the season from December to April or May.
Uses
Warder says it is fit "for cooking and market only." Beach finds it not regarded with favor as a commercial variety, because the fruit ranks but second or third rate in quality and is subject to "Baldwin Spot."
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 (1855–1916) from Massachusetts, New Jersey
- Joseph Breck & Co. , Boston , Massachusetts — 1855 — listed as Pennock's Red Winter
- Manalapan Nurseries , Englishtown , New Jersey — 1916 — listed as Pelican
View original book sources (6)
— William Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817)NO. 78. PENNOCK.
A very large, fair, red apple, much admired as an early winter fruit; the form is singular; when standing on its end, the axis of the fruit inclines twelve to fifteen degrees from a perpendicular line—the shape varies, but is generally flat—the skin a deep red, with small indistinct streaks of dull yellow, and small black clouds and light spots on the side next the sun; the flesh is rich, yellow, tender, juicy, and sweet: the tree grows very large—the form regular, spreading finely, with great beauty, equal to any trees in our orchards: it is a great and constant bearer, and keeps well, and is a popular apple in the Philadelphia market. It obtained its name from a family in Pennsylvania who first cultivated it.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Pennock. Pomme Roye, of some, West, | Large Romanite, | Penick, Big Romanite, | Red Pennock, | Neisley's Winter. Pennock's Red Winter, | Prolific Beauty, American. Large, roundish conical, angular, dull red, little yellow ; flesh, coarse, dry rot. November to March. This is largely grown through the Southwest, but intelligent persons do not now plant it.
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Pennock.
PENNOCK'S RED WINTER — ROMANITE — BIG ROMANITE.
This fruit, of Pennsylvania origin, is not introduced into this collection on account of its excellence, but because it is so universally cultivated in nearly all parts of the country.
Tree vigorous, large, spreading, very productive, bearing some fruit every year.
Fruit large to very large, form variable, but characteristically it is conic-oblate, often unequal, and lop-sided; Surface greenish-yellow, covered with mixed and striped red; Dots large, irregular and round, gray.
Basin wide, rather deep, uneven or wavy; Eye large, open.
Cavity wide, deep, regular; Stem short.
Core irregular, closed, meeting the eye; Seeds numerous, angular, plump; Flesh yellow, breaking, coarse-grained; Flavor sub-acid, poor; third quality; for cooking and market only; Season December; very much disposed to bitter rot.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Pennock.
Pomme Roye. Big Romanite. Red Pennock. Large Romanite. Neisley's Winter Penick. Pennock's Red Winter. Prolific Beauty. Pelican Gay's Romanite. Roman Knight. Red Ox.
Origin, Pennsylvania. Tree a strong, vigorous, upright spreading grower, and very productive.
Fruit quite large, oblique, generally flat, but occasionally roundish oblong, fine deep red, with faint, indistinct streaks of yellow. Flesh yellow, tender, and juicy, with a pleasant half sweet flavor. Good. November to March.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)PENNOCK.
REFERENCES. 1. Coxe, 1817:145. fig. 2. Thacher, 1822:132. 3. Buel, N. Y. Ed. Agr. Mem., 1826:477. 4. Fessenden, 1828:131. 5. Cat. Hort. Soc. London, 1831:27. 6. Mag. Hort., 1:364. 1835. 7. Manning, Ib., 7:47. 1841. 8. Downing, 1845:125. 9. Kirtland, Horticulturist, 2:545. 1847. 10. Longworth, Ib., 3:395. 1848. 11. Phoenix, Ib., 4:470. 1849. 12. Thomas, 1849:170. 13. Cole, 1849:128. 14. Emmons, Nat. Hist. N. Y., 3:59. 1851. col. pl. 15. Elliott, 1854:176. 16. Hooper, 1857:68. 17. Horticulturist, 15:183. 1860. 18. Warder, 1867:449. 19. Downing, 1869:302. 20. Hogg, 1884:171. 21. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:296. 22. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:246.
SYNONYMS. Big Romanite (15, 16, 19). Gay's Romanite (19). Large Romanite (15, 16, 19). Neisley's Winter (15). Neisley's Winter Penick (19). Pelican (19). Penick. Pennick. Pennock (8). PENNOCK'S RED WINTER (2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 13, 16). Pennock's Red Winter (12, 15, 18, 19, 20). Phoenix (16). Pomme Roye (19, of some West, 15). Prolific Beauty (15, 19). Red Ox (19). Red Pennock (15, 19). Romanite (18). Roman Knight (19).
A rather large, red winter apple, pretty uniform in size and shape and attractive in appearance, but only fair to good in quality. It is much subject to the trouble commonly known as "Baldwin Spot," for which no remedy is known.¹ The tree is hardy, very long-lived and a strong grower. It comes into bearing rather young and is a reliable cropper, usually yielding heavy crops biennially and bearing some fruit every year. Generally speaking it is not regarded with favor as a commercial variety because the fruit ranks but second or third rate in quality and, as above mentioned, is subject to the "Baldwin Spot." It is not recommended for planting in New York. ¹See page 58.
Historical. This old variety has been long known among New York fruit growers by the names Pennock, Pennick, Penick and Phoenix. The true Phoenix is a distinct variety which apparently has never been known among New York fruit growers. Pennock is said to have been first cultivated by Joseph Pennock, of Springfield township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania. It was formerly grown to a considerable extent in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and was at one time popular in the Philadelphia market (1, 2). In 1867 Warder remarked that it was then universally cultivated in nearly all parts of the country. In New York state it is found principally in old orchards and is now seldom planted.
TREE. Tree large or medium, often very vigorous. Form regular, symmetrical, upright spreading.
FRUIT. Fruit large, uniform in size and shape. Form roundish to oblate or slightly oblong, often inclined to conic, sometimes obscurely ribbed or elliptical but usually pretty regular; axis sometimes oblique. Stem short, moderately thick, not exserted. Cavity medium in size, acute or approaching acuminate, moderately narrow to rather broad, deep, usually symmetrical, green or russeted, sometimes with outspreading russet rays. Calyx medium to rather large, closed or partly open; lobes medium to long, acute, connivent or varying to flat and convergent, pubescent. Basin medium in size, shallow to medium in depth, rather narrow to moderately wide, somewhat abrupt, sometimes obtuse, often a little furrowed or slightly wrinkled. Skin rather thick, tough, smooth, yellow or greenish washed and mottled with red rather indistinctly striped with carmine and somewhat mottled and streaked with thin scarf-skin. Well-colored specimens are almost wholly covered with bright deep red. Dots numerous, conspicuous, large, gray or yellowish, often areolar with russet point. Calyx tube rather large, moderately wide, usually conical, sometimes approaching truncate funnel-shape. Stamens basal to nearly median. Core small, axile; cells uniformly developed, closed; core lines meeting or slightly clasping. Carpels ovate to roundish obcordate, emarginate, sometimes tufted. Seeds medium to large, moderately narrow, rather long, plump, somewhat acute, rarely tufted. Flesh yellowish, firm, somewhat coarse, rather crisp, tender, rather juicy, subacid to mild subacid or nearly sweet; flavor lacking in character; quality fair to good.
Season December to April or May.
— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)PENNOCK. Big Romanite. Pennock's Red Winter. Phoenix. Red Pennock. Romanite. This old sort was at one time a familiar inhabitant of Pennsylvania and New York and was widely distributed, though not largely planted, in other apple regions. Its outstanding characters are: for the fruit, large size, dull red color, oblique axis, yellow flesh, and distinct flavor; for the trees, hardiness, longevity, and vigor. The variety fails because of the poor quality of the fruit and its susceptibility to a physiological trouble known as "Baldwin spot." Pennock appears to have originated on the farm of Joseph Pennock, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, about 1800. The earliest account of it is that of Coxe in 1817.
Tree large, vigorous, regular, symmetrical, upright-spreading.
Fruit large, uniform in size and shape, round to oblate or oblong, often conic, sometimes obscurely ribbed or elliptical, axis oblique; stem short, thick, not exserted; cavity medium in size, acute, narrow to broad, deep, symmetrical, green or russeted, sometimes with outspreading russet rays; calyx large, closed or partly open; lobes long, acute, connivent or varying to flat and convergent, pubescent; basin shallow, narrow, abrupt, sometimes obtuse, often furrowed or wrinkled; skin thick, tough, smooth, yellow, washed and mottled with red, indistinctly striped with carmine and mottled and streaked with thin scarf-skin; dots numerous, conspicuous, large, gray or yellow, often areolar with russet point; calyx-tube large, wide, conical; stamens basal; core small, axile; cells uniformly developed, closed; core-lines meeting; carpels ovate to round-obcordate, emarginate, sometimes tufted; seeds large, narrow, long, plump, acute, rarely tufted; flesh yellow, firm, coarse, crisp, tender, juicy, subacid to mild subacid; fair to good; December to April or May.