It is called Api Etoile, it would be beautiful when sliced.
Very interesting shape. Are there many apples that you know of that have this shape?
The only other apple I know that is similar but not as symmetrical is Caville
Blanc dāHiver. The article notes that the orchard that grows them is in New Hampshire and they use them for cider.
My recollection is it is similar to Pomme dāApi which is better known as Lady. My guess is the name is hinting this, its the āstar-shaped variation of the Lady appleā. Calville Blanc crossed with Pomme dāApi?
Here is a good historical description for French readers (click on the pages on the left, they are from Leroy, the āApples of New Yorkā for France). http://pomologie.com/pomme1/fpommes/apietoile/apietoile.html . Note that this page says its primarily for decoration, thats why I didnāt grow it.
A member here sent me scion and I now have about 8 of them in the nursery. Super Excited to grow them out!
Apistar apple:
āThe ancestor āApistarsā was already known in Roman times and is one of the oldest varieties in Switzerland.ā
https://www.artevos.de/nc/en/list-of-varieties/sorte/apistar-sternapi.html
After a little research it is classified as an old āancientā apple. France, England, & Switzerland take credit for growing it since the 1600ās. As it turns out, it is just larger than a Lady Apple and is very sweet/tart and tasty! I will look for them!
Iām trying to track down this apple for my experimental farm, anyone know where I can find a US supplier of Api etoile or Apistar or Star Lady Switzerland 1600? Iām hitting a brick wall and would love some help. I also contacted the orchard in NH and they did not seem responsive to sharing any scionwood or suppliers that would sell it. Trees of Antiquity sold it at one point, but it seems their supply is exhausted as well.
Could you please forward me that members details so I could request scionwood as well? Thank you and happy holidays.
Hi Dustin, you need to stay around for awhile here before you can swap scionwood with members. You can meanwhile look at the scionwood sources page where there are various retail sellers (including our own 39th parallel) listed and they may have what you are looking for.
Hi Scott, thanks for the advice! Iāll be sure to stick around on the forums. Iāve been joining many of the fruit forums in search of rare antiquities as of late. I own a small four acre farm, on which Iāve been collecting rare fruit cultivars. Sorry if I seemed overzealousā¦just super excited to see a topic thread on something Iāve been researching for months. Hopefully Iāll come by some scion on the exchange or in time Iāll have access to trading with other members.
Read my post, it lists the name of an orchard on NH.
Hi my friend! I actually have contacted said orchard in the past and unfortunately they donāt have Scionwood or donāt sell the variety. Iām not looking for profit here, I just enjoy breeding and collecting rare varieties but canāt seem to add this one to my collection. I do however have quite a few red fleshed apple varieties long run if anyone is interested once Iām allowed to participate further in the forums.
Welcome Deep Blue Dustinā¦
I have well over a dozen red fleshed varieties myselfā¦but most are one year old grafts with no scionwood to part with yet. I do have Redfield and Niedzwetzkyana that I can snip on.
No idea where to get the star shaped appleā¦possibly āOrange Pippinā website?
I actually contacted Orange Pippin as well! They will be having some on dwarf rootstock in 2020, but thatās longer than I prefer to wait. But I have myself waitlisted there already in hopes of adding it to the collection. Super interesting that you have the original red crab! Did you get that from Greenmantle perchance?
Not too happy about the dwarf rootstock though. Itās a downer for me, I prefer M111 to be honest. Not fond of having to support trees or knowing that they have a shorter lifespan. Not to mention dwarf means less apples
I would suggest you try B-118 as it starts bearing before MM111ā¦since you want to stay with the larger trees. That or Antonovka.
No on Greenmantle. I got my Niedzwetzkyana from Trees of Antiquity about 5 years ago. I have grafted some of it onto B-9. But my original is on MM-111. (Which surprisingly had some apples the second year.)
Is B-118 a full size rootstock or does that still stay below 20ā? I donāt want any monster trees (40ā) long run, they just take up too much room when Iāve only got four acres. Iāll admit I could use some brushing up on rootstocks. I only recently (past two years) started collecting apples in terms of the rare cultivars I collect. Iām also interested in Che, Haskaps and a few other unmentionables that are closer guarded secrets I tend to only share in private.
Do you use your redfield for cider making given the cross with Wolf River?
B-118 may be a tad larger than MM-111. But not quite full sized. Consider it equivalent to MM111.
Actutally MM-`106 if your soil conditions are right might be betterā¦or G-890ā¦if youāre worried about size.