Skunk

Skunk

Origin/History

An old American variety, originally from New Jersey. Elliott (1865) lists it under the alternate name Polecat. Downing (1900) cites Coxe as his source, placing its cultivation in New Jersey. Beach (1905) reports it under the name Skank, noting that at the time of writing it was grown only in Southern Seneca County, New York, having been brought to his attention by M. C. Brokaw of Interlaken, N.Y., who reported it was once cultivated in New Jersey under that name. Beach was unable to find any mention of it by pomological writers prior to his own account.

Tree

(Beach.) Tree medium to large, vigorous. Form spreading. Twigs medium in length, spreading, medium in thickness. Hardy, healthy, long-lived, and a reliable cropper, yielding heavy crops in alternate years.

Fruit

Size and Form

Fruit large, or above medium (Downing, Beach, Elliott), uniform in size and shape (Beach). Form roundish conic to roundish, regular, pretty symmetrical (Beach). Elliott describes the form as flat — conflicting with Beach's roundish conic characterization.

Stem

Stem medium in length, moderately thick to rather slender. (Beach.)

Cavity

Cavity acute to acuminate, deep, broad, sometimes compressed, thinly russeted, the russet not extending beyond the cavity. (Beach.)

Calyx

Calyx medium or below, closed or slightly open; lobes short to rather long, acute. (Beach.)

Basin

Basin rather small, moderately shallow to rather deep, medium in width to narrow, somewhat abrupt, slightly wrinkled. (Beach.)

Skin

Downing describes the skin as yellow, resembling Newtown Pippin, with red spots and blotches. Elliott describes the coloring as dull dark red on yellow. Beach gives the most detailed account: skin rather thin and tender, smooth, bright pale yellow partially overspread and mottled with attractive red, distinctly splashed and often broadly striped with bright carmine; well-colored specimens are nearly covered with red. Note that Elliott's "dull dark red" characterization conflicts with Beach's "attractive" bright carmine coloring; Beach explicitly states that the variety is usually not highly colored, which may account for some of the observed variation. Dots scattering, medium to above, russet or areolar with russet center. (Beach.)

Flesh and Flavor

Flesh yellowish, sometimes with a faint reddish tinge (Beach; Downing also notes yellowish). Beach describes the flesh as rather firm, fine-grained, crisp, tender, juicy, mild subacid, agreeably aromatic; quality good to very good for dessert. Downing similarly describes it as juicy and pleasant, rating it Good. Elliott, by contrast, describes the flesh as dry — conflicting with both Downing and Beach on this point.

Core and Seeds

(Beach.) Core small, sessile or nearly so, abaxile; cells pretty symmetrical, usually open or partly open; core lines usually somewhat clasping. Carpels much concave, broadly roundish to slightly elliptical, emarginate. Seeds numerous, medium or below, rather narrow, quite plump, irregular, moderately acute to acuminate, rather dark brown.

Internal Structure

(Beach.) Calyx tube medium to rather large, funnel-form to cone-shape. Stamens median to marginal.

Season

Elliott gives December–January. Downing gives November–December. Beach gives the broadest range: October to February or later. The combined evidence places this as a late fall to midwinter variety, with Beach's account suggesting extended storage potential into late winter.

Uses

Good to very good dessert apple when well grown (Beach). Downing rates it Good. Beach notes that when well grown it is one of the best dessert apples of its season and that it should not be allowed to pass out of cultivation.

Subtypes/Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Beach notes that despite the variety being of good size and attractive in color when highly colored, it is usually not highly colored and on this account would not rank as a first-class commercial variety. He characterizes it as underappreciated relative to its quality.