The comprehensive resource for apples and orchards

Chieftain apple

Fruits are medium in size, round, and bright red. Flesh firm, juicy, white. Flavor subacid, milder than Jonathan but more sprightly than Delicious. Dual purpose, high quality. Keeps well.

Last updated 28 Jan 2012.

Summary

  • Species: Malus domestica
  • Parentage: Jonathan x Delicious
  • Origin: Iowa, United States
  • Introduced: 1917
  • Developed by: Iowa State University
  • Orange Pippin Cultivar ID: 165500

Using

  • Good for eating fresh
  • Good for cooking
  • Flavour quality: Very good
  • Flavour style: Sweet/Sharp
  • Ripening period: Late season
  • Use / keeping: 1-2 months

Growing

  • Cropping: Good
  • Flowering period: Mid-Late season
  • Flowering group: 4
  • Fertility: Self-sterile
  • Triploid: No
  • Vigour: Average growth
  • Gardening skill: Average
  • Fruit bearing: Spur-bearer
  • Attractive blossom
  • General disease resistance: Good

Climate

  • Suitable for warm climates
  • Suitable for temperate climates

Disease resistance

  • Scab  - Some resistance
  • Fireblight  - Some resistance

Relationships to other varieties

Parents and other ancestors of this variety:

Chieftain identification photos from official fruit collections


UK National Fruit Collection

©Crown Copyright more >
UK National Fruit Collection

Chieftain identification photos from website visitors



Rate this variety for flavor

Current rating: out of 5. Total votes cast: 0
 

Visitor comments

(Use the form at the bottom to add your own comments about this variety)

17 Jul 2011 DonIA WOODBURY, United States
While I agree in general with the listed traits expressed on this web, I would like to add some more. The Chieftan, while round, has a firm snappy skin, or crispy which ever you prefer. The interior is of a thick very tangy, sweet and crunchy apple to eat. They are great if you have good teeth but to take a bite you need good teeth to snap off a chunk to chew. Either that or use a paring knife for slices. I have made pie, apple crisp and some other food stuffs with these apples and absolutely love them. They make maybe the best apple crisp and apple pies that you have ever tasted. Just cut way back on the sugar as they are naturally quite sweet and you really do not want to drown out the tartness. Try them this way and I bet you will be the rave. There are apple orchards that grow these yearly south of me about 75 miles in Mondamin, Iowa along I-29. Splendid apple. Enjoy !

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Fruit tree register

Do you have a tree of this variety in your garden or orchard? If so please register the details here and contribute to our international register of fruit trees.

The following Chieftain trees have been registered - click the name to view more details of each tree.

You can also view these trees on a map.

United States



Mature heights for Chieftain trees

This table shows the likely mature height for a Chieftain tree taking into account the vigor of the variety, the rootstock, and soil conditions.

Rootstock Soil quality
Poor Below average Average Above average Very good
P22 2.5 ft
0.8 m
3.1 ft
0.9 m
3.7 ft
1.1 m
4.6 ft
1.4 m
5.5 ft
1.7 m
M27 2.8 ft
0.9 m
3.5 ft
1.1 m
4.2 ft
1.3 m
5.3 ft
1.6 m
6.3 ft
1.9 m
M9 4.2 ft
1.3 m
5.3 ft
1.6 m
6.3 ft
1.9 m
7.9 ft
2.4 m
9.5 ft
2.9 m
Bud.9 4.2 ft
1.3 m
5.3 ft
1.6 m
6.3 ft
1.9 m
7.9 ft
2.4 m
9.5 ft
2.9 m
Geneva 11 4.2 ft
1.3 m
5.3 ft
1.6 m
6.3 ft
1.9 m
7.9 ft
2.4 m
9.5 ft
2.9 m
Geneva 16 4.9 ft
1.5 m
6.1 ft
1.9 m
7.4 ft
2.3 m
9.2 ft
2.8 m
11.0 ft
3.4 m
M26 5.3 ft
1.6 m
6.6 ft
2.0 m
7.9 ft
2.4 m
9.8 ft
3.0 m
11.8 ft
3.6 m
Geneva 30 5.6 ft
1.7 m
7.0 ft
2.1 m
8.4 ft
2.6 m
10.5 ft
3.2 m
12.6 ft
3.9 m
MM102 5.6 ft
1.7 m
7.0 ft
2.1 m
8.4 ft
2.6 m
10.5 ft
3.2 m
12.6 ft
3.9 m
M7 6.3 ft
1.9 m
7.9 ft
2.4 m
9.5 ft
2.9 m
11.8 ft
3.6 m
14.2 ft
4.3 m
M116 6.3 ft
1.9 m
7.9 ft
2.4 m
9.5 ft
2.9 m
11.8 ft
3.6 m
14.2 ft
4.3 m
MM106 7.0 ft
2.1 m
8.8 ft
2.7 m
10.5 ft
3.2 m
13.1 ft
4.0 m
15.8 ft
4.8 m
MM111 8.1 ft
2.5 m
10.1 ft
3.1 m
12.1 ft
3.7 m
15.1 ft
4.6 m
18.1 ft
5.6 m
Bud.118 9.1 ft
2.8 m
11.4 ft
3.5 m
13.7 ft
4.2 m
17.1 ft
5.2 m
20.5 ft
6.3 m
M25 10.2 ft
3.1 m
12.7 ft
3.9 m
15.2 ft
4.7 m
19.0 ft
5.8 m
22.8 ft
7.0 m

From an idea by N. Buck - more details.

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