Reverend W Wilks apple
Good early cooker, and easy to grow.
Reverend W. Wilks is an early-season culinary apple variety, raised at Langley Nurseries in the early 20th century. Reflecting the great importance attached to cooking apples in England at that time, it was named after the then secretary of the Royal Horticultural Society.
Reverend W. Wilks has many of the hallmarks of the English cooking apples of the previous Victorian era - it is a large, juicy, acidic apple. Like many similar varieties it is also very easy to grow and the tree is resistant to all the common apple diseases and suitable for most temperate climates.
It remains a popular variety throughout the United Kingdom to this day, being versatile in the kitchen and coming into season towards the end of August before the main late-season cookers are available.
Summary
- Species: Malus domestica
- Parentage: Probably Ribston Pippin and Peasgood Nonsuch
- Origin: Berkshire, England, United Kingdom
- Introduced: 1904
- Orange Pippin Cultivar ID: 111400
- 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.
Identification
- Fruit colour: Green
- Flesh colour: White
- Fruit size: Very large
- Bultitude apple group: 5. Yellow, smooth, sweet or acidic
Using
- Good for cooking
- Cooking result: Puree
- Flavour quality: Good
- Flavour style: Sharper
- Ripening period: Early season
- Use / keeping: 1 week
Growing
- Cropping: Good
- Flowering group: 2
- Fertility: Self-fertile
- Triploid: No
- Vigour: Weak growing
- Biennial tendency
- General disease resistance: Good
Climate
- Suitable for temperate climates
- Tolerates cold winters
Disease resistance
- Bacterial canker Pseudomonas syringae - Some resistance
- Scab - Some resistance
- Mildew - Some resistance
Relationships to other varieties
Parents and other ancestors of this variety:
- Ribston Pippin (parent) - Ribston Pippin is probably a parent of Reverend W. Wilks.
Reverend W Wilks identification photos from official fruit collections
Reverend W Wilks identification photos from website visitors
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 Reverend W Wilks trees have been registered - click the name to view more details of each tree.
You can also view these trees on a map.
United Kingdom
- Graham Hinchliffe in EASTBOURNE, EAST SUSSEX
- Kevinincornwall in LISKEARD, UNITED KINGDOM
- Margaret Brooker in Ellerker, East Yorkshire
- Mark Brisbane in WINCHESTER, HAMPSHIRE
- N. Buck in CAMBRIDGE, Cambridgeshire
- Richard Jones in LISKEARD, CORNWALL
- Terry Smith in HUNTINGFORD, DORSET
Latest Spring blossom records for this variety
2010 season
- 28th April 2010 - tree owned by N. in CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom
2009 season
- 20th April 2009 - tree owned by N. in CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom
Record your blossom dates in our Fruit Tree Register - more >>.
Latest harvest records for this variety
2010 season
2009 season
- August 2009 - tree owned by N. in CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom
Mature heights for Reverend W Wilks trees
This table shows the likely mature height for a Reverend W Wilks 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 | 1.8 ft 0.5 m |
2.2 ft 0.7 m |
2.6 ft 0.8 m |
3.1 ft 0.9 m |
3.5 ft 1.1 m |
| M27 | 2.0 ft 0.6 m |
2.5 ft 0.8 m |
3.0 ft 0.9 m |
3.5 ft 1.1 m |
4.0 ft 1.2 m |
| M9 | 3.0 ft 0.9 m |
3.8 ft 1.2 m |
4.5 ft 1.4 m |
5.3 ft 1.6 m |
6.0 ft 1.8 m |
| Bud.9 | 3.0 ft 0.9 m |
3.8 ft 1.2 m |
4.5 ft 1.4 m |
5.3 ft 1.6 m |
6.0 ft 1.8 m |
| Geneva 16 | 3.0 ft 0.9 m |
3.8 ft 1.2 m |
4.5 ft 1.4 m |
5.3 ft 1.6 m |
6.0 ft 1.8 m |
| Geneva 11 | 3.5 ft 1.1 m |
4.4 ft 1.3 m |
5.3 ft 1.6 m |
6.1 ft 1.9 m |
7.0 ft 2.1 m |
| M26 | 3.8 ft 1.2 m |
4.7 ft 1.4 m |
5.6 ft 1.7 m |
6.6 ft 2.0 m |
7.5 ft 2.3 m |
| Geneva 30 | 4.0 ft 1.2 m |
5.0 ft 1.5 m |
6.0 ft 1.8 m |
7.0 ft 2.1 m |
8.0 ft 2.5 m |
| MM102 | 4.0 ft 1.2 m |
5.0 ft 1.5 m |
6.0 ft 1.8 m |
7.0 ft 2.1 m |
8.0 ft 2.5 m |
| M7 | 4.5 ft 1.4 m |
5.6 ft 1.7 m |
6.8 ft 2.1 m |
7.9 ft 2.4 m |
9.0 ft 2.8 m |
| M116 | 4.5 ft 1.4 m |
5.6 ft 1.7 m |
6.8 ft 2.1 m |
7.9 ft 2.4 m |
9.0 ft 2.8 m |
| MM106 | 5.0 ft 1.5 m |
6.3 ft 1.9 m |
7.5 ft 2.3 m |
8.8 ft 2.7 m |
10.0 ft 3.1 m |
| MM111 | 6.0 ft 1.8 m |
7.5 ft 2.3 m |
9.0 ft 2.8 m |
10.5 ft 3.2 m |
12.0 ft 3.7 m |
| Bud.118 | 6.5 ft 2.0 m |
8.1 ft 2.5 m |
9.8 ft 3.0 m |
11.4 ft 3.5 m |
13.0 ft 4.0 m |
| M25 | 7.5 ft 2.3 m |
9.4 ft 2.9 m |
11.3 ft 3.5 m |
13.1 ft 4.0 m |
15.0 ft 4.6 m |
From an idea by N. Buck - more details.
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