Reinette Pippin
Apple
Reinette Pippin
Origin / History
Originated in France, where it has been known in cultivation for more than one hundred years prior to 1873 (Beach, citing Leroy). It appears to be but little known in the United States.
Tree
Tree medium to rather large, vigorous; branches short, curved; laterals willowy, slender and somewhat drooping. Form roundish to upright and rather spreading, open. Twigs medium to short, straight or somewhat curved, stout to moderately slender; internodes medium to short. Bark reddish-brown mingled with olive-green, partly streaked with thin scarf-skin, heavily pubescent. Lenticels scattering, medium, roundish or oblong, slightly raised. Buds very deeply set in bark, below medium to small, broad, flat, very obtuse, appressed, quite pubescent.
The tree is healthy, strong, and a reliable cropper, yielding moderate to heavy crops annually. It is among the most productive varieties tested at the New York Station, often bearing so heavily that a considerable portion of the fruit is below medium size.
Fruit
Size and Form. Downing describes the fruit as medium in size; Beach as above medium, sometimes large or very large, pretty uniform in size but variable in shape, with fruit from heavily bearing trees often falling below medium size. Form oblate, occasionally roundish, rarely slightly inclined to conic — both sources agree on the predominantly oblate character, with Downing also noting an inclination toward conic. Beach further describes the form as often irregularly elliptical or obscurely angular, with sides characteristically unequal as shown in the colored plate.
Stem. Short (Downing); short to very short (Beach).
Cavity. The two sources conflict on cavity size: Downing describes it as large; Beach as medium or below. Beach adds that it is acute or acuminate, deep, moderately wide or rather narrow, often slightly furrowed, sometimes compressed, sometimes with outspreading rays of thin greenish-russet.
Calyx. Small and closed (Downing). Beach describes it as small to above medium, open to nearly or quite closed; lobes long, acute to acuminate, reflexed. The two sources thus conflict slightly on both size and whether the calyx is open or closed.
Calyx Tube. Large, deep, flaring, cone-shape to almost funnel-form; stamens median to basal (Beach).
Basin. Medium or small, corrugated (Downing). Beach describes it as variable, small to rather large, moderately shallow to rather deep, narrow to rather wide, rather abrupt, slightly furrowed and wrinkled.
Skin. Pale yellow with light and gray dots (Downing). Beach describes it as moderately thick, tough, smooth, green or pale yellow or often whitish especially toward the cavity, occasionally very slightly blushed; the transition from green in autumn to pale yellow at maturity is noted. Dots numerous, whitish or russet, areolar (Beach); described as light and gray by Downing.
Flesh and Flavor. White (Downing); whitish slightly tinged with yellow (Beach). Firm, tender, rather crisp. Moderately juicy; moderately coarse-grained. Flavor brisk subacid (Downing); subacid, rich (Beach). Good to excellent in quality; good for either dessert or culinary uses, though Rhode Island Greening surpasses it for culinary purposes and also in size and symmetry.
Core and Seeds. Core rather large (Downing); small to nearly medium, usually more or less abaxile (Beach) — the two sources conflict on core size. Cells irregular in size, sometimes unsymmetrical, partly open or closed; core lines clasping. Carpels roundish to elliptical, obtusely emarginate, smooth. Seeds variable, irregular, often large, wide, obtuse.
Season
Season extends from October to March (Beach); Downing places it in December–January. An uncertain keeper in ordinary storage. It sometimes keeps well until midwinter but often shows a high rate of loss during November; early November is the common commercial limit for handling in ordinary storage. In cold storage the commercial limit appears to vary from February first to March first.
Uses
Good for either dessert or culinary uses. Rhode Island Greening surpasses it for culinary use, as well as in size and symmetry (Beach).
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 2 period pomological works
View original book sources (2)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Reinette Pippin. Origin, supposed France. Fruit medium, oblate, inclining to conic, pale yellow, with light and gray dots. Stalk short. Cavity large. Calyx small, closed. Basin medium or small, corrugated. Flesh white, crisp, moderately juicy, brisk subacid. Good. Core rather large. December, January.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)REINETTE PIPPIN.
REFERENCES. 1. Downing, 1869:332. 2. Leroy, 1873:724. fig. 3. Powell and Fulton, U. S. B. P. I. Bul. 48:54. 1903. 4. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul. 248:140. 1904.
SYNONYMS. REINETTE PEPIN (2). Reinette Pippin (2).
Fruit pretty uniform in size but often a little unsymmetrical with sides unequal. It is green in autumn but eventually becomes more or less tinged with pale yellow. It is an uncertain keeper in storage. It sometimes keeps well till midwinter but it often shows a high rate of loss during November. Early November is the common commercial limit for handling this variety in ordinary storage, although its season extends from October to March. The commercial limit in cold storage appears to vary from February first to March first. As grown at this Station the tree is healthy, strong and a reliable cropper, yielding moderate to heavy crops annually. In fact it is one of the most productive of the varieties thus far tested here, often bearing so heavily that a considerable portion of the fruit is below medium size. Although Reinette Pippin is excellent in quality, Rhode Island Greening surpasses it for culinary use as it also does in size and symmetry.
Historical. This variety originated in France where it has been known in cultivation for more than one hundred years (2). It appears to be but little known in this country.
TREE.
Tree medium to rather large, vigorous; branches short, curved; laterals willowy, slender and somewhat drooping. Form roundish to upright and rather spreading, open. Twigs medium to short, straight or somewhat curved, stout to moderately slender; internodes medium to short. Bark reddish-brown mingled with olive-green, partly streaked with thin scarf-skin, heavily pubescent. Lenticels scattering, medium, roundish or oblong, slightly raised. Buds very deeply set in bark, below medium to small, broad, flat, very obtuse, appressed, quite pubescent.
FRUIT.
Fruit above medium, sometimes large or very large, pretty uniform in size but variable in shape. Form oblate, occasionally roundish, rarely slightly inclined to conic, often irregularly elliptical or obscurely angular; sides characteristically unequal as shown in the accompanying colored plate. Stem short to very short. Cavity medium or below, acute or acuminate, deep, moderately wide or rather narrow, often slightly furrowed, sometimes compressed, sometimes with outspreading rays of thin greenish-russet. Calyx small to above medium, open to nearly or quite closed; lobes long, acute to acuminate, reflexed. Basin variable, small to rather large, moderately shallow to rather deep, narrow to rather wide, rather abrupt, slightly furrowed and wrinkled. Skin moderately thick, tough, smooth, green or pale yellow or often whitish especially toward the cavity, occasionally very slightly blushed. Dots numerous, whitish or russet, areolar. Calyx tube large, deep, flaring, cone-shape to almost funnel-form. Stamens median to basal. Core small to nearly medium, usually more or less abaxile; cells irregular in size, sometimes unsymmetrical, partly open or closed; core lines clasping. Carpels roundish to elliptical, obtusely emarginate, smooth. Seeds variable, irregular, often large, wide, obtuse. Flesh whitish slightly tinged with yellow, firm, tender, rather crisp, moderately coarse-grained, subacid, rich, juicy, good for either dessert or culinary uses.