The comprehensive resource for apples and orchards

Orleans Reinette apple

An old-fashioned 18th century French apple, with a good reputation for flavour, but usually not a good cropper.

Last updated 23 Dec 2011.

Summary

  • Species: Malus domestica
  • Parentage: Unknown
  • Origin: France
  • Introduced: 1770s
  • Orange Pippin Cultivar ID: 104300

Identification

  • Fruit colour: Red / Orange flush
  • Fruit size: Small
  • Bultitude apple group: 7. Flushed / striped, some russeting, sweet

Using

  • Good for eating fresh
  • Good for cooking
  • Cooking result: Keeps shape
  • Flavour quality: Very good
  • Flavour style: Aromatic
  • Ripening period: Late season
  • Use / keeping: 2-3 weeks Unusually for a late variety, does not keep particularly well.

Growing

  • Cropping: Light
  • Flowering period: Late season
  • Flowering group: 4 Flowers over quite a long period.
  • Fertility: Partially self-fertile
  • Triploid: No
  • Vigour: Average growth
  • Gardening skill: Average
  • General disease resistance: Average

Climate

  • Suitable for temperate climates

Disease resistance

  • Scab  - Very susceptible

Orleans Reinette identification photos from official fruit collections


UK National Fruit Collection

©Crown Copyright more >
UK National Fruit Collection

Orleans Reinette identification photos from website visitors


Orleans Reinette apples tape


Orleans Reinette apples


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)

18 Oct 2011 Alison WarnerSUSSEX, United Kingdom
Best apple I have ever grown, very good crop on a tree which we converted from a young cordon to a small bush when we moved it. However it is its first real crop in 5 years. Fruit beautiful and of high quality; after a weeks or so's storage they had an flavour which reminded me of apple and mango juice blends. Very complex very satisfying. It being a very warm autumn so far they are nearly past their best already. Should have stored in plastic as suggested in apple book. Left mishapes on the tree and they ate well from the tree.
20 Sep 2010 SarahBRONYGARTH, United Kingdom
I have an Orleans Reinette which is excellently flavoured and very prolific. I got it from the National Trust (Erdigg) in 2000. It does not keep long, about 6 weeks, but is worth having despite that because of the taste and appearance.
07 Sep 2010 Dave LiezenWA, United States
Karin, Do you know how the bloom time on your Marcoun relates to the bloom time of Cox Orange Pippin? If so, you can look for something with a bloom that matches or will overlap, in order to set fruit. I looked up some of the russeted and reinette apples In John Bultitude's book. Those that follow are fairly scab resistant and have fertile pollen (are not triploids): Lord Lambourne blooms 3 days before COP; Orleans Reinette blooms 5 days after COP; Tydeman's Late Orange blooms 1 day before COP; Ashmead's Kernel blooms 3 days after COP; Zaberäu Renette blooms 1 day before COP; D'Arcy Spice blooms 3 days after COP. Of course, these records come from Britain. Your experience may differ, depending on how widely your climate varies from that of the UK. I am in a dry part of the States with fairly short growing season. The above are cultivars I am considering or already own. Lady, or in the French, Pomme d'Api is one of the oldest apples in existence. The tree is small, the bloom is some time in mid-season, the apples small and keep long. Coming from France, it may be suitable for your climate. BTW, I have an Ashmead's and it is producing its first small crop this year. It seems to thrive in a wide range of conditions. That should give you some leads worth looking into.
17 Apr 2010 Karin SusanALESSANDRIA, PIEDMONT, Italy
Hello. I would like to know more about this variety. Is this a good cross-pollinator? I am in nortwest Italy and I have Pom Marcoun apple trees and would like to find an Renette variety for pollination but also because I want to add another "old "vareity to my orchard. Any suggestions?
02 Oct 2009 George FullerDORSET, ENGLAND, United Kingdom
Endorse all that has been said about flavour, which I consider to be excellent. However, cannot agree as to it's keeping qualities. Certainly in my experience best eaten straight from the tree (mid October on). Tends to shrivel in store, a characteristic mentioned iin a couple of fruit books I have read. Great eating though. Mine is grown on M27 bush, moderate crops.Or
04 Oct 2008 J A SutherlandMONMOUTH, United Kingdom
Very good. Had both this and Bleinheim Orange and doubt that they are the same.
18 Sep 2008 Sally LeszczynskiOXFORDSHIRE, United Kingdom
Wish ours was a cordon! no I don't, but its about 40 or 50 foot high and the best-looking apples are usually too high to pick, even with a long-handled picker at the top of the ladder! Obviously very old tree. Fruit was quite woody, but in recent years has been good. Keeps well, though not as well as Keswick Codlin even till April for cooking,if you can keep the mice out. If someone from a nursery wanted to take some cuttings to grow on we would be delighted.
07 Aug 2008 JohnSUSSEX, United Kingdom
How do you prune your cordons. After reading many descriptions I am still baffled!
30 Jul 2008 CaroleUnited Kingdom
I've grown this as a cordon for about 20 years and it usually crops each year - it's more reliable than Ashmead's Kernel, which I also grow it's a similar type of apple in taste (perhaps not quite as good) but prettier as it does flush up a little pink with russet patches. Like Ashmead's it needs to be stored and eaten from December onwards.

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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 Orleans Reinette 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

United Kingdom

France

Australia

Switzerland



Latest Spring blossom records for this variety

2011 season

  • 20th May  2011  - tree owned by Gina in MACCLESFIELD, United Kingdom
  • 22nd April  2011  - tree owned by John in MALVERN, United Kingdom
  • 14th April  2011  - tree owned by Stuart in BEDFORD, United Kingdom

2010 season

  • April  2010  - tree owned by Ian in PLAISANCE, France

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

Latest harvest records for this variety

2011 season

  • 4th week September  2011  - tree owned by Gina in MACCLESFIELD, United Kingdom
  • 2nd week September  2011  - tree owned by Mark in PALO ALTO, United States

2010 season

  • 1st week October  2010  - tree owned by Ian in PLAISANCE, France

Mature heights for Orleans Reinette trees

This table shows the likely mature height for a Orleans Reinette 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		 4.3 ft
1.3 m		 4.9 ft
1.5 m
M27 2.8 ft
0.9 m		 3.5 ft
1.1 m		 4.2 ft
1.3 m		 4.9 ft
1.5 m		 5.6 ft
1.7 m
M9 4.2 ft
1.3 m		 5.3 ft
1.6 m		 6.3 ft
1.9 m		 7.4 ft
2.3 m		 8.4 ft
2.6 m
Bud.9 4.2 ft
1.3 m		 5.3 ft
1.6 m		 6.3 ft
1.9 m		 7.4 ft
2.3 m		 8.4 ft
2.6 m
Geneva 16 4.2 ft
1.3 m		 5.3 ft
1.6 m		 6.3 ft
1.9 m		 7.4 ft
2.3 m		 8.4 ft
2.6 m
Geneva 11 4.9 ft
1.5 m		 6.1 ft
1.9 m		 7.4 ft
2.3 m		 8.6 ft
2.6 m		 9.8 ft
3.0 m
M26 5.3 ft
1.6 m		 6.6 ft
2.0 m		 7.9 ft
2.4 m		 9.2 ft
2.8 m		 10.5 ft
3.2 m
Geneva 30 5.6 ft
1.7 m		 7.0 ft
2.1 m		 8.4 ft
2.6 m		 9.8 ft
3.0 m		 11.2 ft
3.4 m
MM102 5.6 ft
1.7 m		 7.0 ft
2.1 m		 8.4 ft
2.6 m		 9.8 ft
3.0 m		 11.2 ft
3.4 m
M7 6.3 ft
1.9 m		 7.9 ft
2.4 m		 9.5 ft
2.9 m		 11.0 ft
3.4 m		 12.6 ft
3.9 m
M116 6.3 ft
1.9 m		 7.9 ft
2.4 m		 9.5 ft
2.9 m		 11.0 ft
3.4 m		 12.6 ft
3.9 m
MM106 7.0 ft
2.1 m		 8.8 ft
2.7 m		 10.5 ft
3.2 m		 12.3 ft
3.8 m		 14.0 ft
4.3 m
MM111 8.4 ft
2.6 m		 10.5 ft
3.2 m		 12.6 ft
3.9 m		 14.7 ft
4.5 m		 16.8 ft
5.2 m
Bud.118 9.1 ft
2.8 m		 11.4 ft
3.5 m		 13.7 ft
4.2 m		 15.9 ft
4.9 m		 18.2 ft
5.6 m
M25 10.5 ft
3.2 m		 13.1 ft
4.0 m		 15.8 ft
4.8 m		 18.4 ft
5.6 m		 21.0 ft
6.4 m

From an idea by N. Buck - more details.

Where to buy apple trees

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