Transcendent
Crab Apple
Transcendent
Origin / History
The origin of Transcendent is unknown. Beach's first reference to the variety is from 1867, but William Prince listed it in his nursery catalogue as early as 1844 (Beach, after Ragan). Beach concludes that it was in the hands of nurserymen for years before it came to the attention of pomological writers, "hence the obscurity in regard to its origin." Hedrick likewise says it seems first to have been mentioned in 1844 but was grown long before this: "How long, or where it originated, no one knows." Budd and Hansen give the origin as America. Bunyard says it was probably raised in America, where it has been known since 1844.
Downing ranks it "one of the best of early autumn varieties." Beach calls it a beautiful fruit and for many years one of the most popular crabapples cultivated in New York. Hedrick calls it for many years the most popular crab-apple in America, "its beautiful color and high quality commending it." He adds that its popularity began to wane with the advent of later and even handsomer and better flavored varieties. The Central Experimental Farm at Agassiz, British Columbia, planted it under test in spring 1894.
Tree
Tree large, vigorous, a good or strong grower, hardy. Stark Bros. call it extremely hardy. Tree roundish, very spreading, drooping, rather dense, with stout, curved and drooping branches. Bunyard says it forms a neat standard.
Twigs moderately long, curved, slender, with large terminal buds; internodes long. Bark brown tinged with green, lightly streaked with scarf-skin, slightly pubescent near the tips. Lenticels quite numerous, medium to large, oval, raised, conspicuous. Buds medium to large, rather prominent, plump, obtuse or slightly acute, free, slightly pubescent (Beach).
Productive to very productive. Beach calls it usually very productive, yielding good to very heavy crops nearly annually, and Bunyard calls it "remarkably prolific."
Subject to blight. Thomas reports it "said to blight badly," and Stark Bros. call susceptibility to blight its worst fault. Budd and Hansen say it is much subject to blight in many sections.
Fruit
Size: Medium to large, "for its class" (Downing). Beach gives medium to rather large, and the nursery and station accounts give medium.
Form: Roundish to roundish oblong, flattened at the ends, somewhat ribbed or angular. Downing calls it slightly but regularly ribbed. Thomas calls it round.
Stem: Medium to long, bracted (Beach). Downing calls it long and slender. Beach calls it rather stout, and Budd and Hansen call it stout.
Cavity: Obtuse, regular (Budd and Hansen). Beach calls it narrow and shallow, and Downing calls it open and deep.
Calyx: Large, closed; segments large, long, leafy, reflexed. Calyx tube conical; stamens marginal (Beach; Budd and Hansen).
Basin: Shallow to nearly flat, wrinkled or somewhat corrugated.
Skin: Thin (Beach), clear bright golden yellow, with a bright red or rich crimson cheek in the sun, overspread with a delicate white or whitish bloom. Bunyard gives the ground as orange. When fully ripe or highly colored, the fruit is nearly covered with bright red. A beautiful fruit.
Thomas, Budd and Hansen, and Bunyard give it striped with red or crimson and thinly shaded or flushed. Stark Bros. call it partly covered with red, "not striped."
Dots: Obscure, few, minute, white (Budd and Hansen).
Flesh and flavor: Creamy yellow to yellow, crisp, juicy, moderately fine. Flavor subacid and a little to somewhat astringent. Downing says it is astringent until fully mellow, "when it is pleasant and agreeable." Budd and Hansen call the flesh acid at first, changing when fully ripe to a pleasant agreeable subacid. Stark Bros. call the flavor "pleasant and agreeable." Thomas rates it "good," and Beach "very good for culinary uses."
Core and seeds: Core medium size (Beach), closed; cells closed.
Season
Early autumn, late August into September. Beach gives late August to the middle of September or a little later. In Oregon, Zielinski gives September 10 to 15.
Uses
A culinary and canning crab. Budd and Hansen call it one of the best market varieties. Stark Bros. (1910) report Montana orchardists planting it commercially by the thousands, the fruit to be used for canning. Hedrick judges it a little too early in season for either home or market.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
The Stark Bros. entry carries the mark "NNCS."
Book Sources
Described in 6 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 71 catalogs (1881–1947) from Alabama, California, England, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington
- Hutchison Nursery , James Hutchison, Oakland , California — 1881
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1884
- W.R. Strong & Co. , Capital and Orange Hill Nurseries (Robert Williamson, prop.), Sacramento , California — 1886
- Fancher Creek Nursery , Fresno , California — 1886
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1888
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1889
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1890
- William H. Moon Co. , Morrisville, Bucks County , Pennsylvania — 1890
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1891
- Missouri Nursery Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1891
- Puyallup & Yakima Nurseries , Puyallup, Washington (Lock Box 191) and North Yakima , Washington — 1892
- Milwaukie-Canby Nurseries , Canby, OR (and Milwaukie, OR) — 1893
- Oregon Wholesale Nurseries , Salem , Oregon — 1893
- Rogers Nursery Co. , Moorestown , New Jersey — 1893
- Multnomah Nurseries , Russellville , Oregon — 1894
- The Vineland Nurseries (Kelsey & Co. , Proprietors), St. Joseph, Missouri (Office: 13th and Atchison Sts., 2 Blocks East of the Citizens St. Car Line) — 1894
- Woodburn Nurseries , Woodburn, Marion Co. , Oregon — 1894
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1895
- The Lovett Company , Little Silver , New Jersey — 1896
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1897
- J.V. Cotta (Cotta Nursery) , Carroll County , Illinois — 1898
- Reading Nursery , Jacob W. Manning, Proprietor, Reading , Massachusetts — 1898
- Brown Brothers Co. , Continental Nurseries, Rochester, NY (also operated from Toronto, Canada) — 1899
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
- Alabama Nursery Co. , Huntsville , Alabama — 1900
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1900
- The Dalles Nurseries , The Dalles , Oregon — 1901
- Washington Nursery Co. , Toppenish , Washington — 1901
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- Brown Brothers Co. , Continental Nurseries, Rochester, NY (also operated from Toronto, Canada) — 1901
- Mountain Grove Nurseries (Tippin & Moore , Proprietors; Geo. T. Tippin, J. W. Tippin, J. C. Moore), Mountain Grove , Missouri — 1901
- S.L. Watkins , Grizzly Flats, El Dorado County , California — 1901
- Forestville Nurseries , T.J. True, Forestville , California — 1902
- Pacific Nursery Company (W. O. Hudson & A. D. Hudson) , Tangent , Oregon — 1903
- Russellville Nursery Co. , Russellville, OR (three miles east of Portland, one mile from Montavilla car line) — 1903
- Phoenix Nursery Company (W. E. Rossney , President; Sidney Tuttle, Vice-President), Bloomington , Illinois — 1904
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1906
- Russellville Nursery Co. , Montavilla Station, Portland, OR (three miles east of Portland, one mile from Montavilla car line) — 1907
- Carlton Nursery Co. , Carlton , Oregon — 1909
- Milton Nursery Co. (A. Miller & Sons , Proprietors), Milton , Oregon — 1909
- Wm. J. Corse (successor to Robert Sinclair / Sinclair Nurseries) , Baltimore , Maryland — 1909
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish , Washington — 1909
- C.F. Lansing , Salem , Oregon — 1910
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1910
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1910
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1911
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1911
- James Veitch & Sons , Ltd., Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, London (also Coombe Wood, Langley, and Feltham) , England — 1911
- Ballygreen Nurseries , Hanford , Washington — 1912
- Pacific Nursery Company , Portland , Oregon — 1912
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1912
- Vineland Nurseries Company , Clarkston , Washington — 1912
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish , Washington — 1912
- J. B. Pilkington , Nurseryman, Portland, OR (nurseries near Newberg, forty miles from Portland) — 1913
- Van Holderbeke Nursery Co. , Incorporated, Spokane, Washington (nurseries at Otis Orchards WA, Pasadena WA, Kennewick WA) — 1913
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1914
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1915
- Ornamental & Fruit Nursery Company , Wapato, County of Yakima , Washington — 1915
- Union Nurseries , J.B. Weaver & Sons, Union , Oregon — 1915
- J.B. Pilkington , Portland , Oregon — 1916
- Holsinger Bros. Nurseries (Holsinger Brothers Nursery) , Rosedale , Kansas — 1916
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1916
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1917
- Fancher Creek Nurseries , George C. Roeding, Fresno , California — 1918
- Christopher Nurseries / John Stewart & Sons , Christopher , Washington — 1920
- Oregon Nursery Co. , Orenco , Oregon — 1920
- Benedict Nursery Co. , Portland , Oregon — 1921
- Fresno Nursery Co. , Fresno , California — 1924
- Columbia & Okanogan Nursery Co. , Wenatchee , Washington — 1925
- Milton Nursery Co. , Milton-Freewater , Oregon — 1947
- North-Western Nurseries , Walla Walla , Washington
View original book sources (9)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Transcendent.
This is one of the best of early autumn varieties.
Fruit medium to large for its class, roundish oblong, flattened at its ends, slightly but regularly ribbed, golden yellow, with a rich crimson, red cheek in the sun, covered with a delicate white bloom ; when fully ripe the red nearly covers the whole surface. Stalk long and slender, set in an open, deep cavity. Calyx closed, with long reflexed segments. Flesh creamy yellow, crisp, subacid, a little astringent until fully mellow, when it is pleasant and agreeable. Early Autumn.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Transcendent.* Medium large, round; yellow striped with red; flesh crisp, juicy, good. Tree vigorous and productive. Said to blight badly. Early.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)TRANSCENDENT.
REFERENCES. 1. Horticulturist, 22:125. 1867. 2. Warder, Ill. Jour. Hort., 5:205. 1869. fig. 3. Downing, 1869:426. 4. Todd, 1871:83. fig. 5. Fitz, 1872:147. 6. Gibb, Montreal Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1:21. 1876. 7. Barry, 1883:360. 8. Gibb, Montreal Hort. Soc. Rpt., 10:139. 1884. 9. Wickson, 1889:249. 10. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:251. 11. Thomas, 1897:300. 12. U. S. Pom. Bul., 6:11. 1897. 13. Can. Hort., 26:489. 1903. figs. 14. Budd-Hansen, 1903:226. fig.
SYNONYMS. TRANSCENDANT (5, 9, 10, 13). TRANSCENDENT (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14).
This beautiful fruit has for many years been one of the most popular of the crabapples cultivated in this state. The tree is a good grower, roundish, spreading, hardy and usually very productive yielding good to very heavy crops nearly annually. It is in season from late August to the middle of September or a little later.
Historical. The history of Transcendent seems to be unknown. Although our first reference to this variety is 1867, William Prince had it listed in his nursery catalogue as early as 1844.1 It seems to have been in the hands of nurserymen for years before it came to the attention of pomological writers, hence the obscurity in regard to its origin.
TREE. Tree large with stout, curved and drooping branches. Form very spreading, drooping, rather dense. Twigs moderately long, curved, slender, with large terminal buds; internodes long. Bark brown, tinged with green, lightly streaked with scarf-skin; slightly pubescent near tips. Lenticels quite numerous, medium to large, oval, raised, conspicuous. Buds medium to large, rather prominent, plump, obtuse or slightly acute, free, slightly pubescent.
FRUIT. Fruit medium to rather large. Form roundish or roundish oblong, flattened at the ends, somewhat ribbed. Stem medium to long, rather stout, bracted. Cavity narrow, shallow, obtuse. Calyx large, closed; lobes long, leafy, reflexed. Basin shallow, wrinkled. Skin thin, clear bright yellow with bright red cheek, overspread with bloom. Highly colored specimens are nearly covered with bright red. Calyx tube conical. Stamens marginal. Core medium size; cells closed. Flesh yellow, crisp, juicy, moderately fine, somewhat astringent, subacid, very good for culinary uses. Season late August to the middle of September.
1 Ragan, U. S. P. B. I. Bul., 66:373. 1905.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Transcendent. — Origin, America. One of the best market varie- ties, but in many sections is much subject to blight. Fruit medium to large, roundish to roundish oblong, flattened at ends, somewhat angular; surface a clear bright golden yellow, striped and thinly shaded with crimson, with delicate white bloom, a beautiful fruit; dots obscure, few, minute, white; cavity regular, obtuse; stem long, stout; basin nearly flat, somewhat corrugated; calyx closed; segments large, leafy. Core closed; tube conical; stamens marginal; flesh creamy yellow, crisp, acid, somewhat astringent, changing when fully ripe to a pleasant agreeable subacid. August, September. Transcendent Crab.
— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)TRANSCENDENT. Fig. 69. For many years Transcendent was the most popular crab-apple in America, its beautiful color and high quality commending it. The trees, too, are vigorous, hardy, and very productive. It is, however, a little too early in season for either home or market, and, with the advent of later and even handsomer and better flavored varieties, its popularity began to wane. It seems first to have been mentioned in 1844, but it was grown long before this. How long, or where it originated, no one knows. Tree large, very spreading, drooping, dense, with stout, curved and drooping branches. Fruit large, round or round-oblong, flattened at the ends, somewhat ribbed; stem medium to long, stout, bracted; cavity narrow, shallow, obtuse; calyx large, closed; lobes long, leafy, reflexed; basin shallow, wrinkled; skin thin, yellow with bright red cheek, overspread with bloom, highly-colored specimens covered with bright red; calyx-tube conical; stamens marginal; core medium size; cells closed; flesh yellow, crisp, juicy, fine, somewhat astringent, subacid; very good; late August to the middle of September.
— Quentin B. Zielinski, Apple Varieties for Oregon (1964)Transcendent ................Yellow with red overcolor September 10 to 15 Crisp, juicy, subacid
— Central Experimental Farm, Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz BC — Catalogue of Fruit Trees under Test (Bulletin No. 3, 1900) (1900)Planted Spring 1894. Tree a strong grower. Fruit of medium size, roundish, oblong. Skin golden with a bright red cheek, and a whitish bloom. Season September.
— Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co., Stark Bros. Year Book (1910) (1910)Yellow, partly covered with red, not striped; fruit medium size, flavor pleasant and agreeable—extremely hardy. Montana orchardists are planting them commercially by the thousands, the fruit to be used for canning. Its worst fault is its susceptibility to blight. NNCS
— George Bunyard & Co., George Bunyard Catalog of Fruit Trees (1914) (1914)Fruit medium size, orange with crimson stripes and flush; remarkably prolific; forms a neat standard. Probably raised in America, where it has been known since 1844.