Scarlet Nonpareil

Apple

Scarlet Nonpareil

Origin/History

Foreign (Elliott, Downing); English (Thomas). Probably raised at Esher, Surrey, about 1773, from a seed of the Old Nonpareil (Bunyard, Handbook). George Bunyard's catalog states it was "Raised at West East" and "Raised and underscored by Mr. Bunyard." Described by Bunyard as "A good old sort worthy of retention."

Tree

Growth slender, a little upright, compact; fertile (Bunyard, Handbook). Leaf very narrow, sharp pointed, held out flat, light green, boldly crenate, nearly smooth below (Bunyard, Handbook).

Fruit

Size: Medium (Elliott, Downing, Thomas, Veitch). Small to medium, 2½ by 2 inches (Bunyard, Handbook).

Form: Roundish (Elliott); roundish oblate conical (Downing); roundish-conic (Thomas); round conical, regular (Bunyard, Handbook); rather roundish (Bunyard Catalog).

Stem: Rather long, in an even russet cavity (Bunyard, Handbook).

Cavity: Even and russeted (Bunyard, Handbook).

Calyx/Eye: Open, in a shallow regular basin (Bunyard, Handbook).

Basin: Shallow and regular (Bunyard, Handbook).

Skin: Deep red on yellowish green (Elliott); whitish, striped and shaded with red (Downing); striped (Thomas); yellow covered with dull red and russet (Bunyard, Handbook); bright red, becoming darker in colour (Veitch); striped with red (Bunyard Catalog). Sources thus differ on ground color — Elliott gives yellowish green, Downing whitish, and Bunyard's Handbook yellow — and on the character of the red overlay, which ranges from "deep red" (Elliott) and "bright red…becoming darker" (Veitch) to "dull red and russet" (Bunyard, Handbook) to striping (Downing, Thomas, Bunyard Catalog).

Flesh/Flavor: Firm, acid (Elliott); yellowish white, firm, juicy, subacid, very good (Downing); sub-acid (Thomas); firm, pale yellow, sweet, rather good flavour (Bunyard, Handbook); crisp, juicy and sweet, a good dessert apple (Veitch); rather yellow, with fine flavour, a pleasant apple (Bunyard Catalog). Sources disagree on acidity, with Elliott (acid), Downing and Thomas (sub-acid), and Bunyard's Handbook and Veitch (sweet) giving differing assessments.

Core/Seeds: Not described in source.

Season

November to February (Elliott); November, December (Downing); November (Thomas); October and November (Veitch); dessert, till March (Bunyard, Handbook).

Uses

Dessert apple (Bunyard, Handbook; Veitch). Culinary (Bunyard Catalog).

Subtypes/Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Not described in source.

Book Sources

Described in 4 period pomological works

Nursery Catalog Sources

Found in 7 catalogs (1897–1917) from England

Kelway & Son , Langport, Somerset , England — 1897
George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1900
Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
James Veitch & Sons , Ltd., Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, London (also Coombe Wood, Langley, and Feltham) , England — 1911
Thomas Rivers & Son , Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire , England — 1913
George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1914
George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1917

View original book sources (6)

SCARLET NONPAREIL. New Scarlet Nonpareil. Foreign. Medium, roundish, deep red on yellowish green; flesh, firm, acid. November to February.

— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)

Scarlet Nonpareil.

New Scarlet Nonpareil.

Foreign; medium size, roundish oblate conical, whitish, striped and shaded with red. Flesh yellowish white, firm, juicy, subacid. Very good. November, December.

— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)

Scarlet Nonpareil. Medium, roundish-conic, striped; sub-acid. November. English.

— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)

SCARLET NONPAREIL. Ronalds, P. 34. F., Nonpareil Ecarlate; G., Scharlachroter Nonpareil. Dessert, till March, small to medium, 2½ by 2, round conical, regular. Colour, yellow covered with dull red and russet. Flesh, firm, pale, yellow, sweet, rather good flavour. Eye, open in a shallow regular basin. Stem, rather long, in an even russet cavity. Growth, slender, a little upright, compact; fertile. Leaf, very narrow, sharp pointed, held out flat, light green, boldly crenate, nearly smooth below. Origin, probably raised at Esher, Surrey, about 1773, from a seed of the Old Nonpareil. A good old sort worthy of retention.

— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)

medium size, bright red, becoming darker in colour, flesh crisp, juicy and sweet, a good dessert apple. Oct. & Nov.

— James Veitch & Sons, Veitch's Fruit Trees (1911) (1911)

Culinary; Syn. Scarlet. Rather roundish-striped with red, with fine flavour. Flesh rather yellow. Pleasant apple. Raised at West East. Raised and underscored by Mr. Bunyard.

— George Bunyard & Co., George Bunyard Catalog of Fruit Trees (1914) (1914)

New Scarlet Nonpareil Nonpareil Ecarlate Scharlachroter Nonpareil