Richared

Origin and History

Richared is a bud sport of Delicious that emerged in the mid-twentieth century. Multiple independent clones were identified and distributed through American nurseries and research institutions beginning in the 1940s. The variety was documented in H.H. Fisher's 1963 USDA survey of apple clones, which recorded eight separate entries representing different source orchards and nurseries across the United States, indicating its rapid adoption and distribution among commercial growers.

Tree

Not described in source.

Fruit

Richared is characterized as a Delicious type apple with notably earlier and darker coloration than standard Delicious. The fruit displays either a blush or solid color pattern.

Season

Not described in source.

Uses

Not described in source.

Subtypes and Variants

Fisher's 1963 survey identified eight distinct clones of Richared in circulation:

1. Entry 1 (Station No. AP-H-219): Received from Azwell Orchard, Azwell, Washington. Noted as a "Green Sport Reversion."

2. Entry 2: Received from Bountiful Ridge Nursery, Princess Anne, Maryland. Described as a Delicious bud sport producing a redder fruit than standard Delicious. Distributed to Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station, Wooster, Ohio, and Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois.

3. Entry 3: Received from C & O Nursery Co., Wenatchee, Washington. Characterized as a Delicious type with color developing earlier and darker ("dkr.") than Delicious, appearing in either blush or solid type. Distributed to Agricultural Experiment Station, Department of Pomology, Geneva, New York, and Graham Horticultural Experiment Station, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

4. Entry 4: Source and comments not listed. Distributed to Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Maine, Orono, Maine; Agricultural Experiment Station, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma; Ashland Spooner Peninsular Station, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin; and Agricultural Experiment Station, Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana.

5. Entry 5: Received from Milton Nursery in 1941. Distributed to Agricultural Experiment Station, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon.

6. Entry 6: Received from P.S.U. Orchards. Distributed to Agricultural Experiment Station, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.

7. Entry 7 (Station No. A341291): Received from Washington Nursery Co., Toppenish, Washington. Identified as a bud mutation of Delicious. Distributed to U.S. Horticultural Field Station, Cheyenne, Wyoming.

8. Entry 8 (Station Nos. AP-H-19, M-713): Received from Wallace Orchard, Monitor, Washington. Distributed to Agricultural Research Service, Irrigation Experiment Station, Prosser, Washington, and Moxee Quarantine Station, Moxee, Washington.

Other

The multiple independent sources of Richared clones—from commercial orchards in Washington state, Maryland, and Oregon, as well as from established nurseries—confirm its establishment as a recognized commercial variety by the early 1960s. Its wide distribution across U.S. research stations indicates significant horticultural interest in evaluating its performance across diverse growing regions.