Pitmaston Nonpareil

Apple

Pitmaston Nonpareil

Origin/History

Raised by John Williams of Pitmaston, near Worcester, England, and introduced to notice in 1818 (Bunyard). Downing cites the description to Lindley. The variety is recorded in the Herefordshire Pomona (p. 33) under the name Pitmaston Russet (Bunyard). By Bunyard's time (1920), it was very little grown, though he regarded it as a very good fruit of the flavour typically found in russets.

Tree

Growth compact and upright; fertile (Bunyard). Not described in Downing.

Leaf: Little upfolded, long oval, deeply serrate (Bunyard).

Fruit

Size: Medium. Dimensions approximately 2½ inches wide by 2 inches deep (Bunyard).

Form: Roundish oblate (Downing); roundish, flat, and regular (Bunyard). The two descriptions are consistent.

Stem: Rather short, set in a round, even cavity (Bunyard).

Cavity: Round and even (Bunyard).

Calyx: Open (Bunyard).

Basin: Shallow and ribbed (Bunyard).

Skin: Downing describes the ground color as dull green, with russet and a faint red flush on the sunny side. Bunyard describes the skin as heavily covered with bronze russet, with an occasional red flush — suggesting the russet often obscures the green ground. Both agree on the presence of russet and a flush.

Flesh/Flavor: Downing describes the flesh as greenish yellow, firm, rich, aromatic, and subacid. Bunyard describes it as tender and pale yellow, with a russet flavour. The two sources conflict on texture — firm (Downing) vs. tender (Bunyard) — and differ slightly on color — greenish yellow vs. pale yellow. Both convey a rich, characteristic russet-type flavour.

Core/Seeds: Not described in either source.

Season

November–December (Downing); keeps till January (Bunyard).

Uses

Dessert (Bunyard).

Subtypes/Variants

Not described in either source.

Other

Not described in either source.

Book Sources

Described in 2 period pomological works

Nursery Catalog Sources

Found in 3 catalogs (1900–1913) from England, Illinois

George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1900 — listed as Pitmaston Russet Nonpareil
Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913

View original book sources (2)

Pitmaston Nonpareil. St. John's Nonpareil. Pitmaston. Russet Nonpareil. Origin, near Worcester, England. Fruit medium, roundish oblate, dull green, with russet and faint red in the sun. Flesh greenish yellow, firm, rich, aromatic subacid. November, December. (Lind.)

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

PITMASTON NONPAREIL. Her. Pom., 33 (as Pitmaston Russet). F., Nonpareille de Pitmaston. (Pitmaston, Pitmaston Russet, Pitmaston Russet Nonpareil.) Dessert, till January, medium, 2½ by 2, roundish, flat, regular. Colour, heavily covered with bronze russet, occasionally with red flush. Flesh, tender, pale yellow, russet flavour. Eye, open in a shallow ribbed basin. Stem, rather short in a round, even cavity. Growth, compact, upright ; fertile. Leaf, little upfolded, long oval, deeply serrate. Origin, raised by John Williams, of Pitmaston, near Worcester, and introduced to notice in 1818. A very good fruit of the flavour usually found in “russets” : now very little grown.

— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)

Nonpareille de Pitmaston Pitmaston Pitmaston Russet Pitmaston Russet Nonpareil Russet Nonpareil St. John's Nonpareil