Susan's Spice

Origin/History

Originated in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. The variety is cited in Downing's The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900), attributed to the sources "Gar. Moo."

Tree

Moderately vigorous, upright in habit.

Fruit

Size and Form

Medium in size. Downing describes the form as compressed; Thomas describes it as oblate; Lowther describes it as flat. All three characterizations are consistent and refer to a fruit flattened in profile.

Skin

Downing describes the skin as glossy light crimson, deeper in the sun, with fawn-colored dots. Lowther describes the skin color as yellow. Thomas describes the fruit as yellow and red. The sources are in partial conflict regarding skin color: Downing emphasizes crimson with no mention of yellow, while Lowther describes yellow skin with no mention of red, and Thomas gives yellow and red. All three descriptions may reflect different degrees of sun exposure or different strains observed.

Stem

Short.

Cavity

Not described in source.

Calyx

Not described in source.

Basin

Not described in source.

Flesh and Flavor

Flesh yellowish white, occasionally stained with red, juicy, pleasant, and aromatic. Quality is described as good.

Core and Seeds

Not described in source.

Season

Autumn. Downing specifies October.

Uses

Primarily a family (home) variety.

Subtypes/Variants

Not described in source.

Other

No stations reported for Susan's Spice in the Northern, Central, or Southern Divisions as of Lowther's 1914 encyclopedia.