Lady Williams apple
An attractive red flushed Australian apple of uncertain parentage, but with excellent keeping qualities.
Lady Williams is an attractive red flushed apple, with a good balanced sweet/sharp flavor. Its main characteristics are its very late ripening period and exceptional keeping qualities.
It was discovered in Western Austrialia in the 1930s and is very well suited to growing in warm climates. Lady Williams ripens extremely late - Kevin Hauser, the southern Californian apple enthusiast, reports picking Lady Williams at the start of February. For this reason it is unlikely to ripen in cooler climates.
The parentage is uncertain. The area of origin, shape, and excellent keeping qualities suggest Granny Smith but Jonathan has also been proposed. We are more inclined to agree with the Jonathan theory, because Jonathan has a track record of lending red/pink hues to its offspring.
Notwithstanding its good qualities it remains largely unknown outside Western Australia. Its main claim to fame is that it is one of the parents of a very famous modern apple - Cripps Pink, better known as Pink Lady®.
Summary
- Species: Malus domestica
- Parentage: Possibly Granny Smith or Jonathan seedling
- Origin: Donnybrook, Australia
- Introduced: 1935
- Developed by: Mr Williams
- Orange Pippin Cultivar ID: 199700
- 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.
Using
- Good for eating fresh
- Flavour quality: Good
- Flavour style: Sweet/Sharp
- Ripening period: Very-Late season
- Use / keeping: 3 months or more
Climate
- Suitable for warm climates
Disease resistance
- Scab - Some susceptibility
- Mildew - Some susceptibility
- Fireblight - Some susceptibility
Pests
- Woolly aphid - Some susceptibility
Relationships to other varieties
Offspring of this variety:
See also:
- Jonathan - Jonathan has been suggested as a possible parent of Lady Williams.
Lady Williams identification photos from official fruit collections
Lady Williams identification photos from website visitors
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Where to buy apples
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