Red Cathead
AppleRed Cathead
Origin / History
Southern variety (Elliott).
Tree
Tree upright, vigorous, and productive, extensively grown in the eastern and southwestern counties of Virginia (Downing). Young wood dull reddish brown, downy.
Fruit
Size: Medium (Elliott) to large (Downing; Lowther's table also gives large).
Form: Roundish to roundish conic.
Stem: Short.
Cavity: Deep.
Calyx: Half open (Elliott); open (Downing).
Basin: Large (Downing).
Skin: Yellow, shaded with red; the red partial and dull, sometimes deeper red in the shade (Downing).
Dots: Whitish, thickly sprinkled.
Flesh and flavor: Yellowish, tender, juicy; flavor pleasant, subacid (Downing; Elliott gives "pleasant"). Quality "very good" (Elliott); "Good to very good" (Downing).
Core and seeds: Not described in source.
Season
October, November.
Uses
Kitchen (Lowther's table).
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Lowther's table entry carries the coded values season "rs", quality "a", and geographic "autumn".
Book Sources
Described in 3 period pomological works
View original book sources (3)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Red Cathead.
Southern. Fruit, medium, roundish, yellow, shaded with red, whitish dots ; stem, short ; cavity, deep ; calyx, half open ; flesh, yellowish, tender, juicy, pleasant ; "very good." October, November.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Red Cathead.
Cathead of some.
Tree upright, vigorous, and productive, extensively grown in the eastern and southwestern counties of Virginia. Young wood dull reddish brown, downy.
Fruit large, roundish conic, yellow, partially shaded with dull red, and sometimes deeper red in the shade, and thickly sprinkled with whitish dots. Stalk short, inserted in a deep cavity. Calyx open, set in a large basin. Flesh yellowish, tender, juicy, pleasant subacid. Good to very good. October, November.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Red Cathead: size large; form roundish conical; season rs; quality a; use kitchen; geographic autumn.