Sine-Qua-Non
AppleOrigin & History
A native of Long Island, named and brought to notice by William Prince (Downing, Beach). It was entered on the catalogue of the American Pomological Society in 1862 and dropped from that list in 1871 (Beach). Beach describes it as an August apple of good dessert quality, now seldom found in cultivation.
Tree
Growth is slow and crooked (Downing, Beach). Elliott describes it more harshly as a "slow, poor grower." Shoots are greenish yellow (Thomas). Bearing habit is disputed: Elliott calls it "an indifferent bearer," while Beach notes that it is in some cases an indifferent bearer, in others productive.
Fruit
Size: Medium.
Form: Downing describes the fruit as roundish conical. Thomas agrees: "roundish, inclining to conical." Beach, however, describes it as roundish ovate. Elliott gives simply roundish.
Skin: Smooth, pale greenish yellow. Thomas alone notes it is "shaded with reddish brown to the sun."
Stem: Slender (Downing, Elliott). Thomas specifies "quite slender, nearly an inch long."
Cavity: Not described in sources.
Calyx: Closed (Elliott).
Basin: Smooth or very slightly plaited (Thomas).
Flesh & Flavor: Downing describes the flesh as white, very tender, juicy, and of a delicate and very sprightly flavor, rating it "Good." Beach and Elliott describe the flesh as greenish-white, tender, juicy, mild subacid, sprightly; Beach rates it good. Thomas describes it as greenish white, fine grained, delicate, very tender, moderately juicy, of a fine, agreeable, sub-acid flavor. Thomas alone notes the fine-grained texture; Thomas says "moderately juicy" where the other sources say simply "juicy."
Core & Seeds: Not described in sources.
Season
August (Downing, Elliott). Beach specifies late August. Thomas places it at two weeks after Early Harvest.
Uses
Good dessert quality (Beach).
Subtypes & Variants
Not described in sources.
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
View original book sources (4)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)SINE-QUA-NON.
A native of Long Island, named by the late Wm. Prince.
Fruit roundish conical, about medium size, smooth, pale greenish yellow. Stalk slender. Flesh white, very tender, juicy, and of a delicate and very sprightly flavor. Good. The young trees are rather slow and crooked in growth. August.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)SINE-QUA-NON.
REFERENCES. 1. London Hort. Soc. Cat., 1831:No. 1220. 2. Downing, 1845:76. 3. Thomas, 1849:143. 4. Cole, 1849:103. 5. Waring, 1851:30. 6. Barry, 1851:281. 7. Elliott, 1854:157. 8. Hooper, 1857:84. 9. Gregg, 1857:391. 10. Horticulturist, 14:425. 1859. 11. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1862. 12. Warder, 1867:732. 13. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:296. SYNONYMS. None.
An August apple of good dessert quality, now seldom found in cultivation. It originated on Long Island and was brought to notice by Wm. Prince (2). It was entered on the catalogue of the American Pomological Society in 1862 (11) and dropped from that list in 1871. The tree is a rather slow, crooked grower, in some cases an indifferent bearer (7), in others productive (4, 13). Fruit medium size, roundish ovate, pale greenish-yellow; flesh greenish-white, tender, juicy, mild subacid, sprightly, good; season late August.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)SiNE-QUA-NON.
From Long Island. Slow, poor grower, and an indifferent bearer. Fruit, medium, roundish, greenish yellow; stem, slender; calyx, closed; flesh, greenish white, tender, juicy, mild sub-acid. August.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Sine Qua Non. Size medium, roundish, inclining to conical; smooth, pale greenish yellow, shaded with reddish brown to the sun; stalk quite slender, nearly an inch long; basin smooth or very slightly plaited; flesh greenish white, fine grained, delicate, very tender, moderately juicy, of a fine, agreeable, sub-acid flavor. Shoots greenish yellow, growth slow. Ripens two weeks after Early Harvest. Origin, Long Island.