Pound Apple
Apple
Pound Apple
Origin/History
Pound Apple is described by William Coxe in his 1817 A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees as No. 30 in his enumeration, making it one of the earliest documented American pomological references to the variety. Coxe's assessment is candid: "The size of this apple has attracted more attention than it merits from its other properties; as a table, cooking, or cider fruit, it is inferior to many others which ripen at the same season."
N.E. Hansen (1902) lists the origin as Russia, cataloguing the variety as No. 360 in his study of northwestern apples. The Russian provenance noted by Hansen may reflect a distinct regional introduction or a later identification of the variety's heritage not available to Coxe.
Tree
The tree is large, vigorous, and spreading (Coxe). No further tree characteristics described in sources.
Fruit
Size and Form: Very large and heavy. Coxe describes the form as flat; Hansen describes it as roundish oblate, irregular, and angular.
Stem: Short, according to Coxe. Hansen describes the stem as medium. The two sources conflict on stem length.
Cavity: Deeply indented (Coxe). Hansen specifies the cavity as regular, acute, with considerable radiating russet.
Calyx: Wide open, with divergent segments (Hansen). Not described by Coxe.
Basin: Smooth or minutely wrinkled (Hansen). Not described by Coxe.
Skin: Smooth (Coxe). Coxe describes the color as pale yellow inclining to green, streaked with lively red. Hansen describes it as deep yellow, mostly covered thinly with dull red, obscurely splashed, and overlaid with whitish. Coxe characterizes the overall appearance as "large" and "fair" and "very showy."
Dots: Obscure, few, yellow, minute (Hansen). Not described by Coxe.
Flesh/Flavor: Juicy and sprightly, well fitted for cooking, with a yellowish cast mixed with a small portion of green (Coxe). Hansen describes the flesh as white, juicy, and acid, good for culinary use. The two sources conflict on flesh color: Coxe gives a yellowish-green cast while Hansen gives white.
Core/Seeds: Core half open; cells ovate, slit; tube funnel-shaped; stamens median; seeds very few, flattened, pointed, and mostly imperfect (Hansen). Not described by Coxe.
Season
Ripens in October (Coxe). Hansen gives the season as September–October. Keeps for several months after harvest (Coxe).
Uses
Primarily a cooking apple. Coxe rates it as inferior to many contemporaneous varieties for table, cooking, and cider purposes despite its impressive size. Hansen concurs on culinary use.
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 2 period pomological works
View original book sources (2)
— William Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817)NO. 30. POUND APPLE.
This is a large fair apple, very showy; the form is flat, the stalk short and planted in a deeply indented cavity—the skin is smooth, a pale yellow inclining to a green, streaked with a lively red—the flesh of a yellowish cast, mixed with a small portion of green; juicy and sprightly, well fitted for cooking—it ripens in October, and keeps for several months—the tree is large, vigorous and spreading. The size of this apple has attracted more attention than it merits from its other properties; as a table, cooking, or cider fruit, it is inferior to many others which ripen at the same season.
— N.E. Hansen, A Study of Northwestern Apples (1902)Pound (No. 360)—Origin, Russia—Fruit very large, heavy, roundish oblate, irregular, angular; surface deep yellow, mostly covered thinly with dull red, obscurely splashed, overlaid with whitish; dots obscure, few, yellow, minute; cavity regular, acute, considerable radiating russet; stem medium; basin smooth or minutely wrinkled; calyx wide open, segments divergent. Core half open, cells ovate, slit; tube funnel-shaped; stamens median; seeds very few, flattened, pointed, mostly imperfect; flesh white, juicy, acid, good for culinary use. September, October.