Summer Rambo
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Summer Rambo
Origin/History
Summer Rambo is an old French apple, said to have originated in France. The name "Summer Rambo" is a corruption of "Summer Rambour." It has long been known in American cultivation, having been described by Coxe in 1817 and Kenrick in 1832. It was distributed quite freely in earlier years, and old trees everywhere proved hardy and profitable for early marketing. It was listed in the catalogue of the American Pomological Society under the name Rambour Franc from 1862 to 1871, and has continued to be listed by nurserymen. The variety has been tested in many parts of the United States but its cultivation has never become extensive. It is comparatively little known in New York state but is more often found in cultivation in Ohio and regions farther west. References to this variety trace back to Switzer in 1725.
Tree
Tree vigorous. Form upright spreading to roundish, open. Twigs moderately long, curved, moderately stout; internodes medium. Bark brown, tinged with green, lightly streaked with scarf-skin; slightly pubescent. Lenticels quite numerous, medium size, round, not raised. Buds medium size, broad, plump, obtuse, free, slightly pubescent. The tree comes into bearing young and bears quite regularly, yielding moderate to good crops.
Fruit
Size: Beach describes the fruit as large to very large, uniform in size and shape. Downing describes it as a little above medium size. [These two sources conflict on size.]
Form: Oblate to roundish oblate, sometimes slightly ovate, sometimes faintly ribbed, pretty regular; sides often unequal. Downing describes it as flat and generally evenly formed, but occasionally a little irregular.
Stem: Short to medium, rather thick.
Cavity: Nearly acuminate, deep to medium in depth, rather broad, usually symmetrical, sometimes lipped, sometimes slightly russeted close to the stem.
Calyx: Rather large, closed or sometimes slightly open; lobes medium to short, rather narrow, acute to obtuse.
Basin: Deep to sometimes medium, wide to medium in width, abrupt, smooth, symmetrical.
Skin: Thick, tough, smooth. Ground color an attractive clear bright yellow or greenish; in well-colored specimens largely washed and mottled with lively pinkish-red, conspicuously marked with many broken stripes and splashes of bright carmine. Downing describes the color as pale greenish yellow, stained and streaked with red on the sunny side. Dots numerous, usually small and submerged, but some are scattering, large, brown or russet. Prevailing effect striped. Overall the fruit is very attractive in size, form, and color.
Flesh/Flavor: Flesh yellowish-green, firm, breaking, coarse, tender, very juicy, mildly subacid, somewhat aromatic; good to very good. Downing describes the flesh as rather soft and sprightly subacid, rated Good.
Core/Seeds: Calyx tube medium in length, rather wide, broadly conical. Stamens median to marginal. Core rather small, axile; cells nearly closed; core lines meeting or slightly clasping. Carpels roundish to roundish ovate approaching elliptical. Seeds frequently abortive, rather large, wide, plump, acute, moderately dark brown.
Season
Downing places ripening in early September. Beach gives the season as September to November. The variety begins to ripen about a month earlier than Grosh, a variety of similar type.
Uses
Suitable for home use or local market. The fine color and size combined with comparatively good quality recommend it for these purposes. Old trees proved hardy and profitable for early marketing.
Subtypes/Variants
Thomas (1903) cross-references Summer Rambo to "Western Beauty," presenting them as the same variety. This synonymy claim is not corroborated by Beach or Downing and should be treated with caution.
Other
Beach notes that although the variety has long been known in cultivation and presents attractive qualities, its cultivation has never become extensive — a fact which may indicate weaknesses not apparent to the casual observer. The variety is of the same type as Grosh, which it resembles in form and coloring but precedes in season by about a month.
Book Sources
Described in 3 period pomological works
View original book sources (3)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Summer Rambo. Rambour Franc. Rambour Gros. Frank Rambour. Summer Rambour. Rambour d'Ete.
This is an old French Apple which was pretty freely distributed many years since, and the old trees of which everywhere prove hardy and profitable for early marketing. Tree vigorous, spreading, open round head.
Fruit a little above medium size, flat, generally evenly formed, but occasionally a little irregular, pale greenish yellow, stained and streaked with red on the sunny side. Flesh rather soft, sprightly subacid. Good. Ripens early in September.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)SUMMER RAMBO.
REFERENCES. 1. Switzer, 1725 (cited by 7). 2. Duhamel, 1:28. 1768. 3. Forsyth, 1803:49. 4. Coxe, 1817:104. fig. 5. Forsyth, 1824:123. 6. Kenrick, 1832:37. 7. Floy-Lindley, 1833:12. 8. Manning, 1838:47. 9. Downing, 1845:94. 10. Thomas, 1849:141. 11. Elliott, 1854:178. 12. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1862. 13. Warder, 1867:733. 14. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1871:10. 15. Leroy, 1873:598. fig. 16. Mo. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1883:76. 17. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:298. 18. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:250. 19. (?) Revue Horticole, 66:202. 1894. 20. Taylor, Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1895:199. 21. Burrill and McCluer, Ill. Sta. Bul., 45:337. 1896.
SYNONYMS. Cambour des Lorrains (15). Charmant Blanc (15). De Lorraine (15). De Rambourg (15). De Rambure (15). De Notre-Dame (15). FRANK RAMBOUR (1, 7). Frank Rambour (9). Grosh (16). Gros-Rambour d'Ete (15). Herbstbreitling (15). Lothringer Rambour d'Ete (15). Pomme de Notre-Dame (6). RAMBOUR (3). Rambour (15, 17). Rambour Blanc (15). (RAMBOUR D'AMERIQUE, 19)? RAMBOUR D'ETE (4, 8, 15). Rambour d'Ete (6, 9, 10, 11). RAMBOUR FRANC (2, 5, 6, 9, 12). Rambour Franc (4, 7, 10, 11, 15, 21). Rambourg Aigre (15). Rambour Gros (7, of the English 6). Rambour Raye (6, 15). Rambu (15). Remboure d'Ete (15). SUMMER RAMBO (13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21). Summer Rambo (11). SUMMER RAMBOUR (10, 11). Summer Rambour (4, 9).
Fruit of the type of Grosh; very attractive in size, form and color; large, oblate, yellowish-green considerably striped and splashed with mixed red, good to very good. Season early autumn. Begins to ripen about a month earlier than Grosh. The tree is a strong grower, comes into bearing young and bears quite regularly yielding moderate to good crops. Although it has long been known in cultivation in this country it has not gained much recognition among New York fruit growers. The fine color and size of this variety combined with its comparatively good quality recommend it for home use or local market. It is an old variety and has been tested in many parts of the United States but its cultivation has never become extensive. These facts would indicate that it has weaknesses not apparent to the casual observer. Possibly it is worthy of further trial in this state.
Historical. This variety is said to have originated in France (15). It has long been known in this country having been described by Coxe in 1817 and Kenrick in 1832 (4, 6). It was listed in the catalogue of the American Pomological Society under the name Rambour Franc from 1862 to 1871 (12, 14, 20). It is still listed by nurserymen (18). It is comparatively little known in New York state but is more often found in cultivation in Ohio and regions farther west.
TREE. Tree vigorous. Form upright spreading to roundish, open. Twigs moderately long, curved, moderately stout; internodes medium. Bark brown, tinged with green, lightly streaked with scarf-skin; slightly pubescent. Lenticels quite numerous, medium size, round, not raised. Buds medium size, broad, plump, obtuse, free, slightly pubescent.
FRUIT. Fruit large to very large, uniform in size and shape. Form oblate to roundish oblate, sometimes slightly ovate, sometimes faintly ribbed, pretty regular; sides often unequal. Stem short to medium, rather thick. Cavity nearly acuminate, deep to medium in depth, rather broad, usually symmetrical, sometimes lipped, sometimes slightly russeted close to the stem. Calyx rather large, closed or sometimes slightly open; lobes medium to short, rather narrow, acute to obtuse. Basin deep to sometimes medium, wide to medium in width, abrupt, smooth, symmetrical. Skin thick, tough, smooth, attractive clear bright yellow or greenish, in well colored specimens largely washed and mottled with lively pinkish-red, conspicuously marked with many broken stripes and splashes of bright carmine. Dots numerous, usually small and submerged, but some are scattering, large, brown or russet. Prevailing effect striped. Calyx tube medium in length, rather wide, broadly conical. Stamens median to marginal. Core rather small, axile; cells nearly closed; core lines meeting or slightly clasping. Carpels roundish to roundish ovate approaching elliptical. Seeds frequently abortive, rather large, wide, plump, acute, moderately dark brown. Flesh yellowish-green, firm, breaking, coarse, tender, very juicy, mildly subacid, somewhat aromatic, good. Season September to November.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Summer Rambo. (A corruption of Summer Rambour.) See Western Beauty.