Anyone growing this apple?

It is called Api Etoile, it would be beautiful when sliced.

image https://assets.atlasobscura.com/media/W1siZiIsInVwbG9hZHMvdGhpbmdfaW1hZ2VzLzM2NDVhYjI1LWU4NWUtNDY1MC1iNzk4LTJiZmVhYTgzM2RjMDBmMzcyNWUxN2VlNTlmZjViMV9TdGFyQXBwbGVzXyBDb250cmlidXRvci0gTkxzaG9wIDogQWxhbXkgU3RvY2sgUGhvdG8uanBnIl0sWyJwIiwiY29udmVydCIsIi1xdWFsaXR5IDgxIC1hdXRvLW9yaWVudCJdLFsicCIsInRodW1iIiwiNTgweDU4MCMiXV0/StarApples_%20Contributor-%20NLshop%20%3A%20Alamy%20Stock%20Photo.jpg

3 Likes

Very interesting shape. Are there many apples that you know of that have this shape?

1 Like

The only other apple I know that is similar but not as symmetrical is Caville
Blanc dā€™Hiver. The article notes that the orchard that grows them is in New Hampshire and they use them for cider.

2 Likes

My recollection is it is similar to Pomme dā€™Api which is better known as Lady. My guess is the name is hinting this, its the ā€œstar-shaped variation of the Lady appleā€. Calville Blanc crossed with Pomme dā€™Api?

Here is a good historical description for French readers (click on the pages on the left, they are from Leroy, the ā€œApples 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 didnā€™t grow it.

1 Like

A member here sent me scion and I now have about 8 of them in the nursery. Super Excited to grow them out!

5 Likes

Apistar apple:


ā€œThe ancestor ā€˜Apistarsā€™ 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

7 Likes

After a little research it is classified as an old ā€˜ancientā€™ apple. France, England, & Switzerland take credit for growing it since the 1600ā€™s. As it turns out, it is just larger than a Lady Apple and is very sweet/tart and tasty! I will look for them!

3 Likes

Iā€™m 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? Iā€™m 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.

2 Likes

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.

2 Likes

Hi Scott, thanks for the advice! Iā€™ll be sure to stick around on the forums. Iā€™ve been joining many of the fruit forums in search of rare antiquities as of late. I own a small four acre farm, on which Iā€™ve been collecting rare fruit cultivars. Sorry if I seemed overzealousā€¦just super excited to see a topic thread on something Iā€™ve been researching for months. Hopefully Iā€™ll come by some scion on the exchange or in time Iā€™ll have access to trading with other members.

2 Likes

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 donā€™t have Scionwood or donā€™t sell the variety. Iā€™m not looking for profit here, I just enjoy breeding and collecting rare varieties but canā€™t 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 Iā€™m allowed to participate further in the forums.

3 Likes

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 ā€œOrange Pippinā€ website?

2 Likes

I actually contacted Orange :tangerine: Pippin as well! They will be having some on dwarf rootstock in 2020, but thatā€™s 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? :wink:

1 Like

Not too happy about the dwarf rootstock though. Itā€™s 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 :slight_smile:

1 Like

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 donā€™t want any monster trees (40ā€™):deciduous_tree: long run, they just take up too much room when Iā€™ve only got four acres. Iā€™ll 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. Iā€™m also interested in Che, Haskaps and a few other unmentionables that are closer guarded secrets I tend to only share in private.

1 Like

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 youā€™re worried about size.

1 Like