Sturmer Pippin
Apple
Origin/History
Raised by Mr. Dillistone, a nurseryman at Sturmer, near Haverhill, in Suffolk, England (Herefordshire Pomona, Bunyard). It is said to have been obtained by impregnating the blossom of the Ribston Pippin with the pollen of the Nonpareil (Herefordshire Pomona). Introduced about 1843 (Bunyard). Downing and Elliott note it as an English/foreign fruit.
Tree
Grows freely to a medium size; very hardy and an excellent bearer; forms a good espalier and should have its place in every collection (Herefordshire Pomona). Healthy, a good bearer (Elliott). Growth slender; fertile (Bunyard). Does well on either light or heavy soils (Bunyard).
Leaf: Rich green, little upfolded, very coarsely serrate (Bunyard).
Fruit
Size: Below medium (Herefordshire Pomona, Downing); rather small (Elliott); small (Thomas); medium, 2½ by 2 inches (Bunyard); two inches and a quarter wide by one inch and three quarters high (Herefordshire Pomona).
Form: Roundish and somewhat flattened, narrowing towards the apex, a good deal resembling the old Nonpareil (Herefordshire Pomona); oblate, approaching conic (Downing); roundish conical (Elliott); oblate (Thomas); round conical, regular (Bunyard).
Stalk/Stem: Three quarters of an inch long, straight, inserted in a round, even and russetty cavity (Herefordshire Pomona); of medium length, inserted in a large cavity (Downing); rather long, in an even russet cavity (Bunyard).
Cavity: Round, even, and russetty (Herefordshire Pomona); large (Downing); even, russet (Bunyard).
Calyx/Eye: Small and closed (Herefordshire Pomona); closed, with long segments (Downing); closed (Bunyard).
Basin: Shallow, irregular, and angular (Herefordshire Pomona); shallow and uneven (Downing); fairly deep and ribbed (Bunyard). Sources disagree on depth: Herefordshire Pomona and Downing describe it as shallow; Bunyard describes it as fairly deep.
Skin: Of a lively green colour, changing to yellowish green as it attains maturity, and almost entirely covered with brown russet; it has a tinge of dull red on the side next the sun (Herefordshire Pomona). Yellow, with a bronzed or crimson cheek (Downing). Yellowish green, with brown dull red in sun (Elliott). Yellow and red (Thomas). Greenish-yellow with dull brown flush with slight russet (Bunyard).
Flesh/Flavor: Yellow, firm, crisp, very juicy, with a brisk and rich sugary flavour (Herefordshire Pomona). Compact, rich subacid; quality good (Downing). Firm, crisp, juicy, acid (Elliott). Rich, sub-acid (Thomas). Crisp, juicy, greenish, brisk and pleasantly flavoured (Bunyard).
Core/Seeds: Not described in source.
Season
February to June (Herefordshire Pomona); January, May (Downing); January to June (Elliott); Winter (Thomas); dessert till May (Bunyard). It is not fit for use till the Ribston Pippin is nearly gone, and continues long after the Nonpareil (Herefordshire Pomona). Keeps well (Elliott). An indispensable fruit for late use; it should be left on the tree as late as possible (Bunyard).
Uses
One of the most valuable dessert Apples of its season; of first rate excellence, and highly desirable, as well on account of its excellent flavour, as from the fact of its arriving at perfection at a period when other favourite varieties are past (Herefordshire Pomona). Dessert (Bunyard).
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Thomas notes "Ky." (Kentucky), suggesting cultivation or reporting from that state. Bunyard lists foreign names: F., Pépin de Sturmer; G., Sturmer Pepping.
Book Sources
Described in 5 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 (5)
— Woolhope Naturalists Field Club, The Herefordshire Pomona (1885)
- STURMER PIPPIN.
This Apple was raised by Mr. Dillistone, a nurseryman at Sturmer, near Haverhill, in Suffolk, and, it is said, was obtained by impregnating the blossom of the Ribston Pippin, with the pollen of the Nonpareil.
Description.—Fruit : below medium size, two inches and a quarter wide, by one inch and three quarters high ; roundish and somewhat flattened, and narrowing towards the apex, a good deal resembling the old Nonpareil. Skin : of a lively green colour, changing to yellowish green as it attains maturity, and almost entirely covered with brown russet ; it has a tinge of dull red on the side next the sun. Eye : small and closed, set in a shallow, irregular and angular basin. Stalk : three quarters of an inch long, straight, inserted in a round, even and russetty cavity. Flesh : yellow, firm, crisp, very juicy, with a brisk and rich sugary flavour.
This is one of the most valuable dessert Apples of its season : it is of first rate excellence, and highly desirable, as well on account of its excellent flavour, as from the fact of its arriving at perfection at a period when other favourite varieties are past. It is not fit for use till the Ribston Pippin is nearly gone, and continues long after the Nonpareil. The period of its perfection is from February to June.
The tree grows freely to a medium size. It is very hardy and an excellent bearer. It forms a good espalier and should have its place in every collection.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Sturmer Pippin.
An English fruit. Below medium, oblate, approaching conic, yellow, with a bronzed or crimson cheek. Stalk of medium length, inserted in a large cavity. Calyx closed. Segments long. Basin shallow and uneven. Flesh compact, rich subacid. Good. January, May.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Sturmer Pippin. Foreign. Tree, healthy, good bearer. Fruit, rather small, roundish conical, yellowish green, with brown dull red in sun ; flesh, firm, crisp, juicy, acid : keeps well. January to June.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Sturmer Pippin. Small, oblate, yellow and red; rich, sub-acid. Winter. Ky.
— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)STURMER PIPPIN. Her. Pom., 25. F., Pépin de Sturmer ; G., Sturmer Pepping. Dessert, till May, medium, 2½ by 2, round conical, regular. Colour, greenish-yellow with dull brown flush with slight russet. Flesh, crisp, juicy, greenish, brisk and pleasantly flavoured. Eye, closed, in a fairly deep ribbed basin. Stem, rather long, in an even russet cavity. Growth, slender ; fertile. Leaf, rich green, little upfolded, very coarsely serrate. Origin, raised by Mr. Dillistone, a nurseryman, at Sturmer, near Haverill, Suffolk ; and introduced about 1843. An indispensable fruit for late use. It should be left on the tree as late as possible. It does well on either light or heavy soils.