DESCRIPTIONS OF LESS COMMON APPLE AND PEAR VARIETIES, 2015
Note: Call and inquire if you are looking for a particular apple or pear not on the list, and we may be able to help you, thanks to our
extensive contacts among amateur and commercial growers.
APPLES
Arlet: Ripens with Gala, also known as Swiss Gourmet, good frost resistance, slight tendency to preharvest drop, keeps well.
Hardy into USDA Zone 2. Fruits medium to large, pleasing sweet-tart flavor, good dual-purpose apple.
Chestnut Crab: Tree size is small, excellent pollenizer for early to mid-blooming apples. Fruit size is about 1-3/4 to 2-1/4
inches, flavor sweet with no astringency, popular apple in MN for schoolchildren. Keeps about a month in refrigeration.
Enigma: Very early ripening (late July in central MN), red, aromatic, medium to large sized round fruit, hardy in Zone 2.
Although my wife dislikes summer apples, she likes this one. Flesh fine-grained and crisp. The 2007 crop held their flavor and texture
till New Year’s Day in spite of poor storage conditions.
Estivale: Late-summer ripening apple, orange-red color, conical shape, keeps for several months in refrigeration. Pleasant sweet
flavor, somewhat similar to Jonagold. Tree has nice spreading growth habit; cultivar is being grown commercially in Belgium and SE
Minnesota.
Frostbite (MN 447): Introduced circa 2007 by U of MN, fruit size medium, unique sweet flavor resembles tropical punch, ripens
late September to early October, keeps at least 3 months. Tree is spreading to upright, vigor moderate, presumed hardy throughout
USDA Zone 3.
Fuji (Yataka strain) : This widely popular eating apple survived and fruited well for me in E central MN (Cottage Grove) in a
sheltered location, but it is too tender to survive cold, windy conditions on the open prairie in SW Minnesota.
Ginger Gold: Ripens early Sept. in central MN, tree is precocious, producing big yellow, sweet apples with a hint of anise that
keep for about 4-5 months in common refrigeration. Flavor intense if left to ripen to bronze color on tree. Fruits hang well.
Haralson: The most widely planted apple in MN, tree is somewhat spreading, not large; fruit russets in rainy climates. Good for
both fresh eating and cooking; slightly tart flesh, keeps about 4-5 months.
Hokuto: Vigorous tree, a sport of Fuji. Fruit are not as well colored as, but larger and just as flavorful as Fuji. Hardy in zone 4a.
Excellent keeper. Triploid pollen, not a good pollenizer for other apple cultivars.
Honey Crisp: Ripe mid-late September, sweet mild flavor, fruits large and exceptionally crisp, keeping 6 months in cold storage.
Fruits susceptible to bitter pit on vigorous rootstocks.
Jonamac: McIntosh x Jonathan cross from Geneva, NY, introd. 1972. Tree size is medium, upright-spreading, moderate vigor,
productive, good pollenizer for early and mid-season blooming cultivars. Fruit ripens 8 days before McIntosh, is dark red, round,
medium sized, flesh nearly white, moderately firm. Fruit is for dessert only, not processing. For me, it is still good eating in February.
Jonamac is grown commercially in western Oregon.
Keepsake: Exceptional keeper, red, medium sized to large, very dense flesh, unique sweet flavor. Tree vigor low to moderate,
spreading growth habit, hardy in Zone 3 but ripens late.
Kerr: Apple-crab from Canada, hardy in USDA Zone 1, 1-1/4 to 1-3/4 inch diameter, medium sized tree, fruit tart at harvest but
mellows nicely in storage, keeps till March in common refrigeration. Excellent addition to apple juice.
Liberty: Scab-resistant, Mac-type apple, keeps about 4 months in storage, good sweet-tart flavor. Must be thinned for best size.
Fruit is unusually attractive to plum curculio.
Mantet: McIntosh x Tetovsky, from Manitoba. Ripens mid-August in Idaho, fruit medium to large, yellow with pinkish-red
overlay, aromatic, juicy, with strawberry undertones, keeps for about 1-2 months. Texture pleasing but not firm.
MN 1628: Quite similar in many respects to Keepsake, ripens slightly earlier, tree more vigorous, spreading growth habit. Red
with yellowish flesh, complex sweet flavor, dense flesh, keeps till late spring. Has displaced Fuji as my wife’s favorite apple.
Norson: Beaverlodge, Alberta cross of Haralson with Dolgo Crab, red fruits about 2” across, hardy in Zone 1, tree vigor is low,
fruit sweet, keeps till December.
Northern Spy: Exceptionally good in pies, very slow to bear on vigorous rootstocks, upright growth habit, but has borne for us at
3 yr. of age on Bud.9. Fruits large, red, good keepers, somewhat flattened.
Oriole: Precocious, ripens early August in central MN. A good early-August cooking apple in MN, but an excellent eating apple
in S. central Alaska, where it ripens late September. Fruits yellow, very large, up to 3-1/2 inches in Alaska, but will not keep over a
month. Does best in cool climates.
Orin: Very high-quality yellow-green apple with prominent lenticels, ripens late October. Tree is a Golden Delicious x Indo
cross, triploid pollen. Flesh is firm, aromatic, sweet, juicy, excellent quality and shelf life.
Prairie Spy: Older MN apple, low vigor, somewhat spreading growth habit, late blooming, very precocious. Fruits large,
somewhat flattened, good keepers, excellent for pies and OK for fresh eating. Has proven heat-tolerant in SW Idaho.
Rubinette: A Golden Delicious x Cox Orange Pippin cross from Switzerland. Tree growth habit like that of Golden Delicious,
low vigor, moderately scab resistant, worth a try in Zone 3. Fruit ripens mid October, size medium, aromatic dense sweet, high-flavored
flesh, very high quality. Color is dull red stripe over golden background, much russet. Fruit will keep till spring.
Sansa: Introduced to U.S. from New Zealand via Japan, 1986, Gala x Akane. Tree is moderate to moderately weak in vigor,
precocious, and very productive. Fruits ripen 1 week before Gala, medium sized, crisp, juicy, slow browning, good sugar/acid balance,
excellent dessert quality, keeps for at least 1 month in storage.
Scarlett O’Hara (Co-op 25) Disease resistant, productive tree, wide crotch angles, excellent keeper, fruit large and red, dual
purpose.
September Ruby: Canadian cultivar, popular in the Prairie Provinces, tree is of low vigor, fruits medium sized to large and red,
sweet flavor, keeps for about 2-3 months.
Shizuka: Golden Delicious x Indo cross, triploid pollen. Tree upright to spreading, moderate vigor. Fruit is large, skin yellow
with pink blush, ripens late Sept. in SW Idaho. Flesh is fine-textured, complex sweet flavor, very crisp, stores till April.
Snowsweet: U of MN introduction about 2005, fruits large, crisp, very sweet and low acid, flesh is fine-grained, juicy, does not
brown when cut. Ripens mid to late September and keeps for at least 4 months.
Spigold: Triploid cross of Northern Spy with Golden Delicious. Tree is vigorous. Fruits large, good flavor, red over yellow
background.
Sweet 16: Vigorous, upright-growing tree, apples have unique, cherry-lifesaver undertones to otherwise sweet flavor if left to
ripen fully on tree. Best grown on dwarf or semi-dwarf rootstocks. Fruits keep 2-3 months.
Tumanga: Tree has spreading growth habit, low to moderate vigor. Fruits large, yellow-green, sweet, crisp, ripen mid-September
in SW Idaho.
Valentine: From Prairie Farms breeding program, Alberta, hardy in Zone 2. Large red apple, slightly tart, so named because it
keeps till Valentine’s Day in storage. Tree is vigorous.
Viking: Large, purple-red summer apple, sprightly flavor, best suited for areas with cool summers.
Zestar: Precocious late-summer apple, best grown on dwarf or semi-dwarf stocks because of its vigor. Fruits have a perfect
sugar-acid blend, size medium to large, ripe about Sept. 1 in central MN, optimal keeping period 7 weeks but are still pretty good at
Christmas.
8C-28-27: Red Delicious x Golden Delicious cross, low to medium vigor tree, fruit conical and red, ripens mid October, flavor is
like Red Delicious mixed with Bartlett pear. Not hardy below -30F.
922 End: Somewhat spreading, yet vigorous tree as grown on Antonovka seedling in MN. Fruits are scab resistant under
Wisconsin conditions. From the Prairie Farms breeding program in Alberta. Hardy throughout Zone 2. As good as Northern Spy for
culinary use, tree precocity is average.
Note: Our Norkent and Carroll trees are too small to furnish scionwood for 2015.
PEARS
Aurora: Bartlett x Margaret Marillet cross, large pyriform fruits, juicy, sweet, upright to spreading grown habit.
Beurre Giffard: Tree has reddish new growth, willowy growth habit, precocious in bearing, blossoms with Summercrisp. Tree
not hardy below –30F. Fruits are medium sized, somewhat pyriform, good tasting even when slightly unripe, sweet with vinous flavor
notes, but keep only a month at best. One of the best of the summer pears, grown commercially in southern Quebec.
Champion: Russeted pear, seedling of Gorham, fine-grained flesh, very good flavor, ripens mid to late September in Idaho.
Tends to shrivel in long-term storage because of a thin skin.
Comptesse Clara Frijs: Dessert pear from Denmark, 19th century, solid rugged hardy tree. Fruit size medium, shape oblong,
yellow-green with a blush of red, rather thick skin. Flesh firm but not crisp, juicy but not dripping, flavor a cross of honey with vanilla.
Tree very productive, flower buds hardy to at least -34F, fruit very popular at SW Minnesota farmers’ market.
Concorde: A British cross of Conference x Comice. Tree growth habit upright to spreading, moderate vigor, precocious, grower
friendly, some resistance to fire blight, spurs up well, fully winter-hardy at –33F in SW Minnesota. Fruits are large with long necks,
excellent sweet flavor, and keep till April in cold storage. Grown commercially in northern WA.
D’Anjou: Commercially grown pear for winter storage. Tree upright, vigorous, early blooming; fruit large, flavor mild and
sweet, stores about 5-6 months in cold storage.
Douglas: Fruit is large, slightly tart, few grit cells, firm texture, excellent for canning, keeps well. Tree has upright to spreading
growth habit. Flower buds hardy to at least -34F; tree is productive in SW Minnesota and very resistant to fire blight.
Ewart: Introduced in Ohio, 1928. Tree is precocious and very productive, somewhat more fire blight resistant than Bartlett,
willowy growth habit, flower buds hardy to at least -34F. Fruits are medium sized, flesh fine-textured, melting, juicy, flavor and quality
are excellent. Ewart will pollenize Bartlett and somewhat resembles it although it ripens 10-20 days later.
Harrow 604: Somewhat spreading growth habit, well spurred, low vigor, very precocious, early ripening, fire blight resistant,
hardy in Zone 4 but injured at -33F. Fruit has long neck, yellow, size small to medium, outstanding flavor, ripe early August in SW
MN.
Harrow Sweet (Harrow 609): Medium sized tree, moderately precocious, somewhat spreading growth habit, hardy in SW
Minnesota to at least -34F, resistant to fire blight, very productive. Fruit ripens 3-1/2 weeks after Bartlett, yellow with red blush, sweet
and juicy with excellent taste, keeps about 3 months in cold storage.
Honeysweet: Self-fertile seedling of Seckel, hardy to at least -35F, very productive. Fruit resembles Seckel being very sweet,
larger and keeps better than Seckel. Tree has spreading growth habit, exceptional resistance to fire blight, ripens about Sept. 4 in eastcentral Minnesota.
Hudar: St. Lawrence Nurseries introduction, tree is precocious and productive, medium sized fruits are yellow with sweet, juicy
flesh, quality acceptable for farmers’ markets, size is medium in SW Idaho, where it typically ripens in early August.
Korean Giant (Olympic): Flower buds hardy to -30F, very productive in SW Minnesota, large round fruits, orange-brown skin,
tree is precocious under Idaho conditions. Fruit is juicy, sweet; I find it tastes excellent when dried.
Luscious: Small to medium sized fruits, good flavor, tree has somewhat spreading growth habit and sterile pollen. Hardy in
Zone 3.
Maxine: Productive in Stillwater, MN; grown for roadside sales in Oregon. Fruit medium sized, pyramidal shape, good flavor.
Tree is resistant to fire blight and a good pollenizer of other pears.
Nova: St. Lawrence Nurseries introduction. Tree is spreading, low vigor, precocious. Fruit is large, round, melting, and juicy, of
good quality, and may be used either green or ripe. Tree is supposedly self-fruitful.
Parker: a 1934 introduction by the U of MN. Medium to large yellow fruit with red blush, fine-grained sweet flesh but does not
keep well.
Patten: U of MN introduction, very large, pyriform fruit, ripe late Sept., good flavor but should be picked 1 week before tree-ripe
for best flavor. Good for eating but only fair for canning.
Stacey: St. Lawrence introduction, very sturdy tree, hardy in USDA Zone 2, tree is productive. Fruit size medium, sweet, but
needs to be picked before fully mature. Keeps for about a month. Popular with customers at the farmers’ market in SW Minnesota.
Sauvignac: as grown in central WA, tree is spreading, low to medium vigor, precocious, hardy in zone 2. Fruit ripe about Sept.
10-15 in central WA. Sweet, juicy, size medium to large, coarse flesh, few grit cells.
Sierra: Seedling of Bartlett x Marguerite Marillat, introduced at Summerland, B.C. in 1969. Tree is medium sized and cold
hardy, bears early and heavily. Fruit is very large, long pyriform, light green, somewhat irregular in size and shape. Flesh is medium
tender, very fine and melting; flavor is very good. Ripens a few days before D’Anjou and keeps till January.
Summercrisp: Tree is upright to spreading, fairly precocious, and very well spurred, an excellent pollenizer for early-ripening
pears. Good resistance to fire blight. Fruits medium sized, best eaten when crisp. Hardy well into Zone 2.
Ubileen: Tree is upright to spreading, flower buds not hardy below about -25F. Fruits large, very flavorful and of high quality,
ripens early August and keeps about a month. One of the best pears in the Corvallis collection, precocity is average.
Vermont Beauty: Tree medium to large, hardy in Zone 4. Fruit lemon yellow, flesh yellow-tinged, melting, smooth, dense, finegrained and juicy. Ripens before Seckel, keeps 5-6 weeks.
CHERRIES
Attika (Kordia): Late-blooming dark sweet cherry from Czechoslovakia, ripens 2 weeks after Bing. As observed here, growth
habit on semi-vigorous Gisela 6 rootstock is very spreading.
Benton: Blooms later than Bing, ripens with Bing, large black fruits with exceptional flavor that is both sweet and acidic. Tree is
self-fruitful and somewhat upright, but productive here in SW Idaho.
Black Gold: Late blooming, somewhat frost resistant, ripening a week after Bing. Tree is self-fruitful and very productive under
east-central MN conditions. Growth habit is upright to spreading. Black Gold has survived -33F in SW Minnesota and has performed
better in W central NJ than any other sweet cherry.
Danube: (Tart) From Hungary, tree has a spreading growth habit, moderate vigor, very productive, much better quality in pies
than Montmorency.
Erde Jubileum: (Tart) From Hungary, upright growth habit, moderate vigor and productivity, ripens very early (early to mid June
in SW Idaho), fruits are dark with deep-red flesh and juice.
Gold: Tree is considered the hardiest (to -38F) of all sweet cherry cultivars, will pollenize most other sweet cherries, and is said to
be very productive. Fruit is firm, golden-yellow in color, ripening about 3-1/2 weeks after Bing.
Kristin: Emperor Francis x Gil Peck cross, introduced in 1982. Tree is large, vigorous, cold-hardy. Fruit ripens with Van, about
a week after Bing, and is medium to large, flesh quality high, unique pleasing flavor as grown here, aromatic, firm, dark-red and glossy.
The most productive semi-dwarf cherry in my orchard in 2013 for its size!
Redlac: Sport of Rainier found near LaGrande, OR by Don Calder. Tree is upright to spreading, self fruitful, winter hardy,
tolerant to spring frosts. Cherries are large, purplish-red, borne in clusters.
Salmo: Lambert x Van cross from Summerland, B.C., introd. 1970. Tree is medium sized, spreading, moderately vigorous,
precocious, productive, cold-hardy. Fruits resemble Van, being black with short stems, flesh moderately firm. I was quite impressed
with the quality of Salmo cherries grown at the NRSP-5 repository in Prosser, WA and in my own orchard in 2012 and 2013.
Tieton: Tree produces very large fruits, ripening about a week before Bing. Fruit is firm and flavorful with a sturdy stem.
Utah Giant: Tree is hardy, blooms with Bing, sets fruit heavily, not subject to fruit doubling in extreme heat. Fruit is sweet,
larger and firmer than Bing or Lambert, shape and stem length resemble Van, skin mahogany colored, flesh flavor outstanding.
White Gold: Self-fruitful cross of Emperor Francis x Stella. Tree appears to be about as hardy as Black Gold under MN
conditions and has good size, great flavor, and moderate cropping. After tasting it here in 2011, I called it “the Rainier of the North.”