Red Delicious apple
Malus domestica
A very popular American apple, a sport of Delicious, known for its bright red colour.
Parentage: Delicious
Origin: USA
Introduced:
Season:
Apple cultivar ID: 113300
Red Delicious is one of the most famous American apples, and one of the most widely grown apple varieties. Although the names are similar, Red Delicious and Golden Delicious are entirely different varieties. There are a lot of other similarities though: both varieties were discovered in the USA at the end of the 19th century, both need warm climates, both have interesting histories, and both are basically sweet apples.
Red Delicious is "sport" of the original Delicious apple, the bright red colour making it more commercially successful, and it has become a very important commercial apple variety especially in North America.
Red Delicious is a medium-sized apple, with a tall conical shape. The dark and intense crimson colour makes it the quintessential red apple, and it is has a strong shelf appeal. A number of improved "sports" have been developed, of which the most well-known is probably Starking.
Unfortunately the visual appeal is not quite matched by the flavour. Red Delicious has a strong sweet flavour, perhaps most reminscent of slightly over-ripe melon. It seems like it should be crisp and crunchy, but it is generally too soft. Golden Delicious, in comparison, is much crisper but has a blander sweet flavour.
Flavour is of course subjective and to some extent it is a matter of what you grow up with. Red Delicious seems to suit North American tastes better than European tastes, but this is perhaps simply a matter of familiarity. Some enthusiasts also believe that in the development of more highly coloured variants, the good flavour of the original Delicious has been bred out.
Here are the names of some of the sports of Red Delicious: Oregon, Otago, Red Chief, Red King, Red Spur, Richared, Starking, Starkrimson, Starkspur.
Red Delicious, like Golden Delicious, is starting to decline in popularity. According to the "Washington Post", Red Delicious' share of the harvest in Washington State, one of the USA's key apple-growing regions, has fallen from 3/4qtrs to just over 1/3rd of production in the 20 years to 2003. The lack of flavour is cited as one of the factors, and in Europe (where flavour has perhaps been relatively more important to consumers), Red Delicious has never been that successful. It is also worth noting that the vast majority of American Red Delicious production takes place in Washington State, where the cooler autumn climate contributes towards the perfect deep red finish and distinctive conical appearance. Red Delicious grown elsewhere in the US tends not to have the same level of red colouration, forcing growers to use some of the redder sports, which in turn do not always have the conical characteristics which consumers associate with Red Delicious.
Red Delicious has been extensively used in breeding programmes, and its most interesting modern offspring is probably Fuji. It is also a parent of Kidd's Orange Red and Empire, both of which have inherited some of the melon flavour. It may also be a parent of Cameo.
Apple Tree Register
Do you have a tree of this variety in your garden or orchard? If so please register the details on our Apple Tree Register here.
Relationships to other apple varieties
Offspring of this variety:
- Cameo - Cameo is thought to be a seedling of Red Delicious.
- Fuji
- Jupiter - The sport of Delicious called Starking is the parent of Jupiter
- Kidd's Orange Red
- Sonya
- Starkrimson
Parents and other ancestors of this variety:
- Delicious (parent) - Red Delicious is a commercial sport of Delicious
See also:
- Empire
- Golden Delicious - Golden Delicious and Red Delicious are not related, but are both commercially important varieties
Discuss Red Delicious in our Forums
| 10 Dec 2009 00:08 | Kathie Smith | |
| My late husband planted an apple tree that produces an apple visually like the one described. However the flesh is pure white, crunchy, juicy and sweet. I would love to know what variety it is. It crops quite late in the season, probably late september/october - I usually have a load to apples for Halloween. Does anyone know what this apple is. | ||
| 24 Nov 2009 06:18 | Kassandra | |
| I had no idea that the Red Delicious apple is declining in popularity. In Maui it is still quite popular.(a lot of people like the fuji apple better though...) | ||
| 17 Nov 2009 23:19 | carol roscoe | |
| I too am having great difficulty in purchasing this apple in England. It had been recommended for gastric reflux and I managed to buy two lots from my local Morrisons a couple of weeks ago but since ,then they have not had any and I have tried many other stores without success. If anyone can help on this I would be very grateful. | ||
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Where to buy apple trees
No tree suppliers listed for this variety.
Where to buy apples
The following orchards and suppliers offer Red Delicious apples for sale:
-
Loose apples for sale
Hollabaugh Brothers
PA, United States
Local collection only
Check website for availability
More supplier details
Apple tree register
The following Red Delicious trees have been registered - click the name to view more details of each tree:
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Darren Peters
ROCK SPRING, Georgia, United States -
Stephen Mynhier
Fort Mill, SC, United States -
Chris Bartram
WORSTEAD, Norfolk, United Kingdom -
Amanda Emily
Colville, Stevens, WA, United States - See a map of these trees
Do you have a tree of this variety in your garden or orchard? If so please found out more about our Apple Tree Register here and register your apple trees.
Variety request
Is your favourite variety not listed here? We are constantly adding new variety details, so please use our contact form to suggest new varieties.
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