Priestly
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Priestly
Origin / History
Pennsylvania. Coxe (1817) records it as "said to be a native of the county of Bucks in Pennsylvania, where it was first cultivated by a person from whom it has obtained its name." Beach (1905) cites a literature beginning with Coxe's figure and description of 1817 and continuing in Thacher (1822), Buel (1826), Wilson (1828), Kenrick (1832), Downing (1845), the Horticulturist (1848), Emmons's Natural History of New York (1851), Elliott (1854), Hooper (1857), and Warder (1867). Beach finds that it "ranks only fair to good in quality," is surpassed by standard varieties of its season, and is not recommended for planting.
Tree
Vigorous, upright, and productive. Handsome in form, with large leaves (Coxe). A pretty vigorous grower, hardy, healthy, and long-lived, commonly bearing good crops annually (Beach); an abundant bearer (Coxe). The fruit hangs well to the tree, and Coxe says it hangs late. Well suited to light soils (Coxe).
Fruit
Size: Medium to large. Most authors call it large. Beach gives medium to large, and Thomas alone calls it plainly medium.
Form: Roundish oblong; Coxe calls it oblong. Beach gives roundish oblate to roundish oblong, usually quite regular and symmetrical.
Stem: Long, usually rather slender (Beach).
Cavity: Acute to acuminate, moderately deep to very deep, broad, russeted and with outspreading russet rays, sometimes faintly furrowed (Beach).
Calyx: Large, usually closed, sometimes partly open; lobes connivent, erect or reflexed, broad, acute. Calyx tube rather wide, conical. Stamens median or below (Beach).
Basin: Very shallow to moderately deep, wide, obtuse or somewhat abrupt, distinctly furrowed and wrinkled (Beach).
Skin: Smooth and tough. Usually a dull red (Coxe), striped, with faint or small streaks of green to yellowish green. Beach describes a green or yellow ground, washed and blushed with red and inconspicuously striped with dark carmine; highly colored specimens are nearly covered with deep red.
Dots: Rather numerous toward the basin, larger and more scattering toward the cavity, gray or russet (Beach). Coxe gives "spots of the same colour" following the faint green streaks.
Flesh and flavor: White, though Elliott calls it greenish white and Beach yellowish. Firm, rather coarse, crisp, juicy (Beach); Downing calls it moderately juicy. Spicy, with a "pleasant spicy taste" (Coxe) and a "spicy, agreeable flavor" (Downing). Beach gives an agreeable mild subacid flavor, somewhat aromatic, and calls it fresh, juicy, and mildly subacid in spring. The verdicts divide. Elliott calls it "inferior" and Downing "Hardly good," while Thomas calls it "good" and Beach "fair to good" and "medium to good in quality."
Core and seeds: Core medium to small, axile; cells symmetrical, closed; core lines meeting or clasping. Carpels roundish, emarginate. Seeds large, wide, flat, obtuse to somewhat acute, very dark brown (Beach).
Season
Winter, December to March, extended by Beach to April. Beach finds it an agreeable dessert apple especially in spring, when it is fresh and juicy. It hangs late on the tree, and Coxe says it makes cider late in the season.
Uses
Dessert and kitchen. Coxe calls it "an excellent table and kitchen apple" and says it "makes good cider late in the season, but not of the first quality." Beach calls it an agreeable dessert apple, especially in spring, but less desirable for culinary uses because it lacks acidity.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 5 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 1 catalog (1845) from Massachusetts
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845 — listed as Priestley
View original book sources (5)
— William Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817)NO. 79. PRIESTLY.
This apple is said to be a native of the county of Bucks in Pennsylvania, where it was first cultivated by a person from whom it has obtained its name. The tree has a handsome, upright form, vigorous growth, and large leaves; it is well suited to light soils: the fruit is large, of an oblong form; the skin smooth, the colour usually a dull red, streaked faintly with green, with spots of the same colour: the flesh is white, has a pleasant spicy taste; it is an excellent table and kitchen apple; hangs late on the tree; is an abundant bearer, and makes good cider late in the season, but not of the first quality.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Priestley. Priestley's American, | Red Cathead. Large, roundish oblong, dull red, streaks of yellowish green; flesh, greenish white, inferior. December to March.
[Additional entry in this volume: "Priestly", pp. 196–196]
Priestley. Priestley's American, | Red Cathead. Large, roundish oblong, dull red, streaks of yellowish green; flesh, greenish white, inferior. December to March.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Priestly. Priestley's American. Origin, Pennsylvania. Tree vigorous, upright, and productive. Fruit large, roundish oblong, smooth, dull red, with small streaks of yellowish green. Flesh white, moderately juicy, with a spicy, agreeable flavor. Hardly good. December to March.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Priestley. Medium, roundish oblong, striped dull red; spicy, good. Winter. Pa.
[Additional entry in this volume: "Priestly", pp. 738–738]
Priestley. Medium, roundish oblong, striped dull red; spicy, good. Winter. Pa.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)PRIESTLY.
REFERENCES. 1. Coxe, 1817:146. fig. 2. Thacher, 1822:132. 3. Buel, N. Y. Bd. Agr. Mem., 1826:476. 4. Wilson, 1828:136. 5. Kenrick, 1832:51. 6. Downing, 1845:126. 7. Horticulturist, 2:483. 1848. 8. Emmons, Nat. Hist. N. Y., 3:72. 1851. 9. Elliott, 1854:176. 10. Hooper, 1857:72. 11. Warder, 1867:729.
SYNONYMS. PRIESTLEY (3, 5, 10). Priestley's American (6, 9). Red Cathead (9).
Fruit medium to large, blushed or faintly striped with red. Although it ranks only fair to good in quality it is an agreeable dessert apple especially in the spring when it is fresh, juicy and mildly subacid. It is less desirable for culinary uses because it lacks acidity. The tree is a pretty vigorous grower, hardy, healthy, long-lived and commonly bears good crops annually. The fruit hangs well to the tree. It is surpassed by standard varieties of its season and is not recommended for planting.
The following is Coxe's description of this variety: "This apple is said to be a native of the county of Bucks in Pennsylvania, where it was first cultivated by a person from whom it has obtained its name. The tree has a handsome, upright form, vigorous growth, and large leaves; it is well suited to light soils—the fruit is large, of an oblong form—the skin smooth, the colour usually a dull red, streaked faintly with green, with spots of the same colour; the flesh is white, has a pleasant spicy taste—it is an excellent table and kitchen apple; hangs late on the tree; is an abundant bearer, and makes good cider late in the season, but not of the first quality."
FRUIT.
Fruit large to medium. Form roundish oblate to roundish oblong, usually quite regular and symmetrical. Stem long, usually rather slender. Cavity acute to acuminate, moderately deep to very deep, broad, russeted and with outspreading russet rays, sometimes faintly furrowed. Calyx large, usually closed, sometimes partly open; lobes connivent, erect or reflexed, broad, acute. Basin very shallow to moderately deep, wide, obtuse or somewhat abrupt, distinctly furrowed and wrinkled. Skin tough, smooth, green or yellow washed and blushed with red and inconspicuously striped with dark carmine; highly colored specimens are nearly covered with deep red. Dots rather numerous toward basin, larger and more scattering toward cavity, gray or russet. Calyx tube rather wide, conical. Stamens median or below. Core medium to small, axile; cells symmetrical, closed; core lines meeting or clasping. Carpels roundish, emarginate. Seeds large, wide, flat, obtuse to somewhat acute, very dark brown.
Flesh yellowish, firm, rather coarse, crisp, juicy, agreeable mild subacid, somewhat aromatic, medium to good in quality.
Season December to April.