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King David apple

A good quality American apple variety, notable for its old-fashioned resistance to fireblight.

King David is one of the lesser-known apples that were promoted by the famous Stark Brothers nursery at the end of the 19th century.  The tree was discovered as a chance seedling and the parentage is not clear but most authorities agree that Jonathan is one of the parents, and it has the aromatic qualities associated with that variety.  The other parent is believed to be Winesap or Arkansas Black, and visually it has a resemblance to the latter.

King David is well-suited to the warmer southern states, and has good resistance to fireblight, a bacterial disease which is endemic to the mid-Atlantic region of the United States.

Last updated 10 Jun 2010.

Summary

  • Species: Malus domestica
  • Parentage: Jonathan and Winesap or Arkansas Black
  • Origin: Arkansas, United States
  • Introduced: 1890s
  • Orange Pippin Cultivar ID: 155800

Identification

  • Fruit colour: Red
  • Fruit size: Medium

Using

  • Good for eating fresh
  • Good for cooking
  • Good for juice
  • Good for hard cider
  • Flavour quality: Good
  • Flavour style: Aromatic
  • Ripening period: Late season
  • Use / keeping: 1-2 months

Growing

  • Flowering period: Mid season
  • Flowering group: 3
  • Fertility: Self-sterile
  • Triploid: No
  • General disease resistance: Good

Climate

  • Suitable for warm climates
  • Suitable for temperate climates

Disease resistance

  • Fireblight  - Very resistant

King David identification photos from official fruit collections


UK National Fruit Collection

©Crown Copyright more >
UK National Fruit Collection

King David identification photos from website visitors


King David tree tape


King David tree

Copyright: M. Gallagher


Rate this variety for flavor

Current rating: 5 out of 5. Total votes cast: 1
 

Visitor comments

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

19 Oct 2011 Dave LiezenWA, United States
Went to Feil Pioneer Fruit Stand just north of Wenatchee last Saturday and bought some of these apples - enough for us to try and for some other people. Unbelievable flavors: rich, sweet, spicy, and my wife likens it to caramel, too. Yep, want this growing out back.
19 Sep 2011 Dave LiezenWA, United States
The article I'd mentioned earlier sounded so compelling, and I see records from Maine that indicate King David might do fine here, so I hope to graft some scions onto some root stock already in the ground spring of '12 and see how they do. Will keep you posted.
31 Aug 2011 Patrick sVA, United States
Hi Dave - (was just in your beautiful state last week!) My tree is not flowering yet (maybe 3 yrs old?), but getting quite large. Hopefully flowers next year.
10 Aug 2011 Dave LiezenWA, United States
Patrick: I live in Spokane, WA, zone 5-6 and am considering this cv. When does your tree bloom? This site states it blooms in group 3, in The Best Apples To Buy And Grow it is said to bloom late, contemporaneous with Arkansas Black, which I would put at group 5 or 6. Thanks, Dave Liezen
13 Jan 2011 Patrick sVA, United States
This is an excellent tasting and beautiful apple, with winesap overtones. I have one growing and it seems to be very grower friendly and disease resistant so far (fireblight can be an issue here).

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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 King David 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



Latest Spring blossom records for this variety

2011 season

  • May  2011  - tree owned by Kris in HOLDEN, United States
  • 4th April  2011  - tree owned by Mark in Harvest, United States

2010 season

  • May  2010  - tree owned by Kris in HOLDEN, United States
  • 11th April  2010  - tree owned by Mark in Harvest, United States

Record your blossom dates in our Fruit Tree Register - more >>.

Latest harvest records for this variety

2011 season

  • 2nd week September  2011  - tree owned by Kris in HOLDEN, United States

2010 season

  • 3rd week September  2010  - tree owned by Kris in HOLDEN, United States
  • 2nd week September  2010  - tree owned by Mark in Harvest, United States

Where to buy apples

The following orchards and suppliers offer King David apples for sale. map >

United Statesmap >





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