Virginia Greening

Origin & History

The Virginia Greening is supposed from its name to have originated in Virginia, though its precise origin is unknown. It is cultivated chiefly in the Southern States, and in those parts of the Northwest to which Southerners have migrated (Warder). Beach notes it was but little grown in New York. It was esteemed at the South as a late keeper and a good market apple.

Tree

Large, spreading, vigorous, and very productive.

Fruit

Size: Large, uniform in size and shape. Beach qualifies as medium to nearly large.

Form: Oblate to roundish oblate, varying to roundish conic, regular or nearly so, symmetrical (Beach). Warder describes it as regular, flat to roundish, generally the former. Elliott describes it as roundish oval, flattened at ends, slightly angular.

Stem: Medium to long, moderately slender (Beach). Warder gives long to medium; Downing, rather long; Elliott, medium.

Cavity: Medium in size, acute to acuminate, deep, moderately narrow to rather broad, often slightly furrowed, russeted and with outspreading russet (Beach). Warder describes it as wide, regular, green. Elliott gives acuminate. Thomas and Downing describe it simply as large.

Calyx: Medium or below, partly open; lobes slightly separated at the base, usually short and obtuse to acute (Beach). Warder gives eye small, open. Downing and Thomas give calyx open. Elliott describes the calyx as large with short segments.

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 (Beach). Warder describes it as regular, wide, shallow. Downing gives broad, corrugated. Thomas gives large, abrupt.

Skin: Thick, tough, smooth or slightly roughened with russet dots and flecks, grass-green sometimes with brownish blush (Beach). Warder describes the surface as smooth, dull green and often bronzy, stating it is "never blushed" — conflicting with Downing ("a slight blush"), Beach ("sometimes with brownish blush"), and Elliott ("brownish in sun"). Downing gives greenish yellowish; Elliott gives dull greenish yellow; Thomas gives yellowish. Dots distinct, usually areolar with russet center, whitish or fawn-colored on the blushed portion, often irregular toward the cavity (Beach). Warder describes dots as scattered, large, white or gray, with whitish rings around them. Downing gives thinly covered with large brown dots. Elliott gives scattered brown specks with whitish green circle suffused around them. Thomas gives large brown dots.

Calyx Tube: Cone-shape to funnel-form. Stamens median (Beach).

Flesh & Flavor: Firm and hard. Warder describes the flesh as white, firm, breaking, sub-acid, and "fit only for the kitchen." Downing gives yellow, compact, a rather pleasant subacid. Elliott gives yellowish white, mild sub-acid, rating it not quite "very good." Thomas gives yellow, coarse, with a rather pleasant sub-acid flavor.

Core & Seeds: 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 (Beach). Warder describes the core as regular, turbinate, closed, meeting the eye, with seeds numerous and long. Elliott gives core small, seeds long ovate.

Season

A long keeper. Elliott gives December to March. Warder gives March and April. Warder notes it is often subject to Bitter-rot.

Uses

Warder considers it fit only for the kitchen. Downing describes it as esteemed at the South as a late keeper and a good market apple.

Subtypes & Variants

Not described in sources.

Other

Beach provides the following references: Prince, N. E. Farmer, 8:1, 1829; Kenrick, 1832:60; White, Horticulturist, 7:319, 1852; Elliott, 1854:160; Downing, 1857:200; Hooper, 1857:95; Warder, 1867:416 (fig.); Downing, 1869:393; Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1873; Thomas, 1875:230; Barry, 1883:356; Wickson, 1889:248; Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:251; Budd-Hansen, 1903:195.

Lowther (1914) lists the variety in a coded characteristic table only:

Description absent; variety present in variety-characteristic table.

Virginia Greening.............| L | fl | gy | G | m | W | . | 9* | 1*