Virginia Greening
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Virginia Greening
Origin / History
Origin unknown, supposed Southern. Warder says it "is supposed from its name to have originated in Virginia," and Budd and Hansen give the supposed origin as Virginia. Beach's references begin with Prince in the New England Farmer, 1829, followed by Kenrick, 1832.
Warder reports it cultivated chiefly in the Southern States, and in those parts of the Northwest to which Southerners have migrated. He counts its long keeping its chief merit. Elliott calls it "esteemed at the South as a keeper." Downing calls it esteemed at the South as a late keeper and a good market apple. Beach says it is valued in the South as a late keeper but "but little grown" in New York. Lowther's station table records it from nine stations in the Central Division and one in the Southern Division, each also reported in another division, with none reported in the Northern Division.
Tree
Tree large, spreading, a vigorous grower, productive to very productive (Downing gives very productive). Warder records Virginia Greening as "often subject to Bitter-rot."
Fruit
Size: Large. Beach alone calls it medium to nearly large, and finds it uniform in size and shape.
Form: Oblate or flat, varying to roundish oblate and roundish. Warder gives flat to roundish, "generally the former." Beach finds it varying to roundish conic, regular or nearly so, and symmetrical, and Warder calls it regular. Elliott alone describes it as roundish oval, flattened at the ends, and slightly angular.
Stem: Medium to long, moderately slender (Beach). Downing calls it rather long, and Thomas calls the stalk large.
Cavity: Large, wide, regular, acute to acuminate. Beach calls it deep and medium in size, moderately narrow to rather broad, and often slightly furrowed. Warder calls the cavity green; Beach finds it russeted, with outspreading russet.
Calyx: Open or partly open. Elliott calls it large with short segments; Warder calls it small and Beach medium or below. Lobes slightly separated at the base, usually short, and obtuse to acute (Beach). Calyx tube cone-shape to funnel-form; stamens median (Beach).
Basin: Broad or wide and shallow, varying to moderately deep. Beach calls it medium in size, usually rather shallow, and moderately wide. Thomas calls it large and abrupt, and Warder regular. Beach finds it obtuse or occasionally rather abrupt. Downing calls it corrugated; Beach finds it furrowed obscurely if at all, and slightly wrinkled.
Skin: Thick and tough (Beach). Smooth, or slightly roughened with russet dots and flecks. Ground color grass-green and dull green, often bronzy (Warder), to yellowish green, greenish yellow, dull greenish yellow, and yellowish. Brownish in the sun. Warder says "never blushed"; Downing gives a slight blush, and Beach sometimes a brownish blush.
Dots: Large, scattered, thinly covering the surface. Brown, gray, or white, with whitish or whitish green rings suffused around them. Budd and Hansen call them conspicuous and few, with the rings forming rings or bases. Beach finds them distinct, usually areolar with a russet center, whitish or fawn-colored on the blushed portion, and often irregular toward the cavity.
Flesh and flavor: Flesh white or yellowish white to yellow. Firm, hard, compact, breaking; Thomas calls it coarse. Mild subacid, a rather pleasant subacid. Elliott rates it not quite "very good," and Lowther's table gives "good."
Core and seeds: Core small to medium, regular, turbinate, closed, meeting the eye. Beach describes the core as axile or with a narrow, hollow cylinder in the axis, and the cells as symmetrical, closed or sometimes slightly open. He gives core lines meeting the limb of the calyx tube or clasping the funnel cylinder. His carpels are roundish to broadly obovate or approaching obcordate, deeply emarginate, smooth or slightly tufted. Seeds numerous, long ovate, rather narrow, plump, acute to obtuse, usually smooth; Beach calls them small.
Season
A long keeper and a good keeper. The recorded season runs from December into April, in winter and late winter into spring. Elliott gives December to March. Warder places it latest, at March and April.
Uses
Kitchen and market. Downing calls it a good market apple at the South, and Budd and Hansen good for kitchen and market. Lowther's table gives market. Warder judges it "fit only for the kitchen."
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 7 period pomological works
- Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)
- Beach, The Apples of New York Vol. 1 (1905)
- Budd & Hansen, Systematic Pomology (1914)
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)
- Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)
- Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)
- Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 4 catalogs (1894–1913) from Illinois, Oregon
- Woodburn Nurseries , Woodburn, Marion Co. , Oregon — 1894
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913
View original book sources (7)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Virginia Greening. Fruit, large, roundish oval, flattened at ends, slightly angular, dull greenish yellow, brownish in sun, scattered brown specks with whitish green circle suffused around them ; stem, medium ; cavity, acuminate ; calyx, large, short segments ; core, small ; seeds, long ovate ; flesh, yellowish white, mild sub-acid; not quite "very good." December to March. Esteemed at the South as a keeper.
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Virginia Greening.
This apple is supposed from its name to have originated in Virginia. It is cultivated chiefly in the Southern States, and in those parts of the Northwest to which Southerners have migrated. Its chief merit is its long keeping. Tree large, spreading, productive.
Fruit large, regular, flat to roundish, generally the former; Surface smooth, dull green and often bronzy, never blushed; Dots scattered, large, white or gray, with whitish rings around them.
Basin regular, wide, shallow; Eye small, open. Cavity wide, regular, green; Stem long to medium.
Core regular, turbinate, closed, meeting the eye; Seeds numerous, long; Flesh white, firm, breaking, sub-acid; Fit only for the kitchen; A long keeper; March and April; often subject to Bitter-rot.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Virginia Greening.
Boss Greening. Green Mountain Pippin. Virginia Pippin ?
Origin unknown, supposed Southern. Tree a vigorous grower and very productive.
Fruit large, oblate, greenish yellowish, thinly covered with large brown dots, and a slight blush. Stalk rather long, in a large cavity. Calyx open. Basin broad, corrugated. Flesh yellow, compact, a rather pleasant subacid. Esteemed at the South as a late keeper and a good market apple.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Virginia Greening. Large, oblate; skin yellowish, with large brown dots; stalk and cavity large; calyx open, basin large, abrupt; flesh yellow, coarse, with a rather pleasant sub-acid flavor. A good keeper. Southern.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)VIRGINIA GREENING.
REFERENCES. 1. Prince, N. E. Farmer, 8:1. 1829. 2. Kenrick, 1832:60. 3. White, Horticulturist, 7:319. 1852. 4. Elliott, 1854:160. 5. Downing, 1857:200. 6. Hooper, 1857:95. 7. Warder, 1867:416. fig. 8. Downing, 1869:393. 9. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1873. 10. Thomas, 1875:230. 11. Barry, 1883:356. 12. Wickson, 1889:248. 13. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:251. 14. Budd-Hansen, 1903:195.
SYNONYMS. Green Mountain Pippin (8). Ross Greening (8). Virginia Pippin? (8).
A large, oblate, yellowish-green apple with hard, firm flesh. In the South, where it is supposed to have originated, it is valued as a late keeper. The tree is large, spreading, vigorous and productive. It is but little grown in this state.
FRUIT.
Fruit medium to nearly large, uniform in size and shape. Form oblate or roundish oblate varying to roundish conic, regular or nearly so, symmetrical. Stem medium to long, moderately slender. Cavity medium in size, acute to acuminate, deep, moderately narrow to rather broad, often slightly furrowed, russeted and with outspreading russet. Calyx medium or below, partly open; lobes slightly separated at the base, usually short and obtuse to acute. Basin medium size, usually rather shallow but varies to moderately deep, moderately wide, obtuse or occasionally rather abrupt, furrowed obscurely if at all, slightly wrinkled.
Skin thick, tough, smooth or slightly roughened with russet dots and flecks, grass-green sometimes with brownish blush. Dots distinct, usually areolar with russet center, whitish or fawn-colored on the blushed portion, often irregular toward the cavity.
Calyx tube cone-shape to funnel-form. Stamens median.
Core small to medium, axile or with a narrow, hollow cylinder in the axis; cells symmetrical, closed or sometimes slightly open; core lines meeting the limb of the calyx tube or clasping the funnel cylinder. Carpels roundish to broadly obovate or approaching obcordate, deeply emarginate, smooth or slightly tufted. Seeds numerous, small, rather narrow, plump, acute to obtuse, usually smooth.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Virginia Greening.—Supposed origin, Virginia; tree large, spreading, very productive.
Fruit large, roundish to roundish oblate; surface smooth, dull greenish yellow, brownish on sunny side; dots large, conspicuous, few, brown or grayish, with suffused whitish green rings or bases; cavity wide, large, regular, green; stem rather long; basin broad, wide, shallow, corrugated; calyx small, open. Core closed, regular, turbinate, meeting; seeds many, long; flesh yellowish, firm, pleasant subacid, good for kitchen and market. Late winter and spring.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Virginia Greening. Size: large. Form: flat. Color: greenish yellow. Quality: good. Use: market. Season: winter. N. Div.: none reported. C. Div.: 9 stations reporting (also reported in another division). S. Div.: 1 station reporting (also reported in another division).