Speer
AppleSpeer
Origin/History
Speer originated as a stray variety discovered among scions of another variety received from Russia. It was named in honor of R. P. Speer, of Cedar Falls, Iowa, by the Iowa State Horticultural Society.
Tree
Not described in source.
Fruit
Size and Form: Above medium to large; roundish, somewhat oblate, regular.
Skin: Rich golden yellow, remarkable for the numerous minute prominences and raised dots. Dots obscure, many, minute.
Stem: Medium, stout.
Cavity: Regular, obtuse, slightly russeted.
Calyx: Closed; segments erect convergent, very large and leafy.
Basin: Smooth, wide, deep, very abrupt, forming a cup with a few prominences in the bottom. (Hansen 1902 notes "a few prominences in bottom"; Budd & Hansen 1914 omits this detail but is otherwise identical.)
Flesh/Flavor: White, juicy, crisp, sprightly acid. Quality: good.
Core/Seeds: Core closed, clasping; cells axile, ovate; tube funnel-shaped; stamens marginal.
Season
Late fall.
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 2 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 1 catalog (1913) from Illinois
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913
View original book sources (2)
— N.E. Hansen, A Study of Northwestern Apples (1902)Speer—A stray variety in some scions of another variety received from Russia. Named in honor of R. P. Speer, Cedar Falls, Iowa, by the Iowa State Horticultural Society—Fruit above medium to large, roundish, somewhat oblate, regular; surface rich golden yellow, remarkable for the numerous minute prominences and raised dots; dots obscure, many, minute; cavity regular, obtuse, slightly russeted; stem medium, stout; basin smooth, wide, deep, very abrupt, forming a cup with a few prominences in bottom; calyx closed, segments erect convergent, very large and leafy. Core closed, clasping; cells axile, ovate; tube funnel-shaped; stamens marginal; flesh white, juicy, crisp, sprightly acid, good. Late fall.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Speer.—A stray variety in some scions of another variety received from Russia. Named in honor of R. P. Speer, Cedar Falls, Iowa, by the Iowa State Horticultural Society. Fruit above medium to large, roundish, somewhat oblate, regular; surface rich golden yellow, remarkable for the numerous minute prominences and raised dots; dots obscure, many, minute; cavity regular, obtuse, slightly russeted; stem medium, stout; basin smooth, wide, deep, very abrupt, forming a cup with a few prominences in bottom; calyx closed; segments erect convergent, very large and leafy. Core closed, clasping; cells axile, ovate; tube funnel-shaped; stamens marginal; flesh white, juicy, crisp, sprightly acid, good. Late fall.