Red Duchess
AppleRed Duchess
Origin / History
Red Duchess originated as a bud mutation of Duchess with J. P. Van Buren in New York and was introduced commercially in 1937. Its chief merits are earliness, hardiness, and attractive color. Commercially, it is a distinct improvement over the standard Duchess of Oldenburg.
Tree
The tree is typical of Duchess. Red Duchess, like its parent variety, is hardy and early bearing.
Fruit
Size: Medium to large.
Form: Round-oblate.
Stem: Not described in source.
Cavity: Not described in source.
Calyx: Not described in source.
Basin: Not described in source.
Skin: Handsomely colored a clear, solid red.
Dots: Not described in source.
Flesh and flavor: Flesh greenish-white, firm, crisp, tender, and juicy. Flavor sprightly subacid to tart. Quality rated as good.
Core and seeds: Not described in source.
Season
Red Duchess matures about mid-August, with Melba. The ripening period extends over 10 to 12 days. It does not color well unless left on the tree to attain its optimum picking maturity. If harvested prematurely, it is not attractively colored and the quality is inferior.
Uses
Red Duchess is a good cooking variety.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 1 period pomological work
View original book sources (1)
— Quentin B. Zielinski, Apple Varieties for Oregon (1964)Red Duchess
This variety originated as a bud mutation of Duchess with J. P. Van Buren in New York and was introduced commercially in 1937. The tree is typical of Duchess. Fruit is medium to large, round-oblate, and handsomely colored a clear, solid red. The flesh is greenish-white, firm, crisp, tender, juicy, sprightly subacid to tart, and rated as good. The Red Duchess, like its parent variety, is hardy, early bearing, a good cooking variety, and matures about mid-August with Melba. The ripening period extends over 10 to 12 days. The chief merits of Red Duchess are its earliness, hardiness, and attractive color. It does not color well unless left on the tree to attain its optimum picking maturity. If harvested prematurely, it is not attractively colored and the quality is inferior. Commercially, it is a distinct improvement over the standard Duchess of Oldenburg.