Arkansas Black apple
Malus domestica
A long-keeping tart apple from Arkansas, USA - which goes almost black in storage.
Parentage: Winesap seedling?
Origin: USA
Introduced: 1840s
Season: Winter
Apple cultivar ID: 118100
Some historical details taken with kind permission from 'The New Book of Apples' by Joan Morgan and Alison Richards , illustrated by Elisabeth Dowle, published by Ebury Press, 2002.
Possibly raised by a settler called John Crawford in Arkansas, USA in the 1840s, and certainly widely grown in Arkansas and Missouri later that century. It is thought to be a seedling of Winesap. This apple is notable for the extremely dark coloration, which becomes almost black after storage. The photo shows an Arkansas Black apple taken in March, having been harvested in October.
We are indebted to Monique Reed of Texas for the photo and following descriptive information."Now, this is supposed to be a very tart, crisp apple and a good keeper. I'd have to say it must mellow enormously in storage, as the one I had was firm and sound, but not especially crisp and not at all tart. (I'm guessing it's near the end of its storage life, since harvest is in fall.) The skin at this stage is extremely waxy. As advertised, the flesh is medium-pale yellow. It was pleasantly sweet and tasted almost as if it were an apple already prepared to go in a dessert--as if it were a tart apple with sugar (and something else? honey?) added, and perhaps a bit of vanilla near the outside and faint but definite almond undertones nearer the core. There was more going on, taste-wise than in a Red Delicious or your average Fuji--more depth, as in many of the older cultivars. Good apple. Not my favorite, but more interesting than many others."
Further information - see the Encylopedia of Arkansas History and Culture.
Where to buy apple trees
The following fruit tree nurseries offer Arkansas Black apple trees for sale:
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Arkansas Black apple
Burnt Ridge Nursery and Orchards , Washington, United States (Deliver nationally)
More supplier details -
Arkansas Black organic apple tree
Trees of Antiquity, LLC , California, United States (Deliver nationally)Strikingly beautiful, dark purplish-red fruits turn nearly black at maturity. Very crisp flesh, coarse, greenish-white, sharp flavor, improving with age. Keeps all winter. Resistant to cedar-apple rust and some resistance to scab and fireblight. Will tolerate low desert heat.More supplier details
Where to buy fruit and related products
No fruit suppliers listed for this variety.
Apple tree register
The following Arkansas Black trees have been registered - click the name to view more details of each tree:
- 09 Aug 08 Axel Kratel Santa Cruz, California, United States
Do you have a tree of this variety in your garden or orchard? If so please register here and contribute to our international register of apple trees.
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