William Penn

Apple

William Penn

Origin/History

Originated at Columbia, Pennsylvania. Elliott (1865) attributes the variety description to W. D. B.

Tree

Vigorous and upright-spreading (Downing). Represented as being an abundant bearer (Elliott).

Fruit

Size and Form: Downing rates the fruit as medium; Elliott and Thomas both describe it as rather large. All three sources agree on the form: roundish oblate, inclining or tending to conical (Downing, Elliott); Thomas describes it simply as round oblate.

Stem: Short (Downing, Elliott); not very stout, sometimes fleshy (Elliott). Downing describes it as very short.

Cavity: Open, rather deep, and considerably russeted (Downing, Elliott).

Calyx: Closed (Downing).

Basin: Downing describes it as large, deep, and slightly corrugated. Elliott gives a more variable account: sometimes wide and shallow, but usually narrow, rather deep, and furrowed. These two accounts conflict on basin width and should be noted as variable.

Skin: The ground color is described by Elliott and Thomas as greenish yellow, while Downing describes it as yellow — a slight conflict in ground tone. All sources agree on striped and mottled red markings. Downing: "shaded, splashed, striped, and mottled with bright red, many light dots." Elliott: "grayish, delicately mottled and striped with red on a greenish yellow ground, with numerous white specks, in the centre of which is a minute russet dot." Thomas: "grayish stripes on greenish-yellow."

Flesh and Flavor: Downing: yellowish, crisp, juicy, pleasant subacid, slightly aromatic; rated Good to Very Good. Elliott: greenish yellow in color, juicy, with a delicious Spitzenburg aroma; quality rated "very good," if not "best." Thomas: juicy, rich, aromatic; very good. The two longer sources conflict slightly on flesh color (Downing: yellowish; Elliott: greenish yellow) but agree on juiciness and notable aromatic character. Elliott's specific comparison to Spitzenburg aroma is the most precise flavor description.

Core: Small (Downing).

Season

December to March (Downing). Thomas gives February as the season, likely indicating peak or availability rather than full storage range.

Uses

Not described in source.

Subtypes/Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Not described in source.

Book Sources

Described in 3 period pomological works

Nursery Catalog Sources

Found in 1 catalog (1900)

Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900

View original book sources (3)

William Penn. From Columbia, Pa. Tree vigorous, upright spreading. Fruit medium, roundish oblate, inclining to conic, yellow, shaded, splashed, striped, and mottled with bright red, many light dots. Stalk very short. Cavity considerably russeted. Calyx closed. Basin large, deep, slightly corrugated. Flesh yellowish, crisp, juicy, pleasant subacid, slightly aromatic. Good to very good. Core small. December to March.

— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)

William Penn.

A native of Columbia, Pennsylvania. Rather large, roundish oblate, slightly conical; color, grayish, delicately mottled, and striped with red on a greenish yellow ground, with numerous white specks, in the centre of which is a minute russet dot; stem, short, not very stout, sometimes fleshy, inserted in an open, rather deep, russeted cavity; basin, sometimes wide and shallow, usually narrow, rather deep and furrowed; flesh, greenish yellow, juicy, with a delicious Spitzenberg aroma; quality, "very good," if not "best:" represented as being an abundant bearer. (W. D. B.)

— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)

William Penn. Rather large, round oblate, grayish stripes on greenish-yellow; juicy, rich, aromatic, very good. February. Pa.

— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)