The comprehensive resource for apples and orchards

Rhode Island Greening apple

One of the oldest American varieties, known since the 1650s, and widely planted in the USA. Its main use is in cooking.

Rhode Island Greening photo tape

Rhode Island Greening is well-known American heirloom apple variety, dating back to the 17th century.  That makes it a very old apple, indeed there are not many European apples that can be traced back as far as Rhode Island Greening.  Perhaps surprisingly Rhode Island Greening is not a rare antique variety grown by enthusiasts as a historical curiosity, as its vintage might suggest.  Quite the opposite - it appears to have been a commercial variety from the outset and even today is still grown commercially in the north-eastern USA.

The main reason for this enduring success is that Rhode Island Greening is the definitive apple for American apple pie.  It is one of those apples (like the English Bramley) that really benefits from cooking to bring out the full richness and sweetness of flavor.  Whilst it can be eaten fresh after a period in storage, it is essentially a hard and uncompromising apple, far better in the kitchen.

Whereas the English like their culinary apples to dissolve into a puree or sauce, Rhode Island Greening - like most of the popular American cooking apples - tends to keep its shape when cooked.

Rhode Island Greening is a triploid apple variety - with three sets of chromosomes rather than the usual two sets (diploid).  There is also a tetraploid form with four sets of chromosomes.  The triploid form is the one most commonly planted and cannot pollinate other apple varieties.  It takes longer than most apple varieties to come into bearing, but then goes on to become a relatively large tree with the potential to be very long-lived.

Last updated 09 Jan 2011.

Summary

  • Species: Malus domestica
  • Origin: Rhode Island, United States
  • Introduced: 17th century
  • Orange Pippin Cultivar ID: 120100
  • We are grateful to Brogdale Farm - home of the UK National Fruit Collection - for providing samples of this variety.

Identification

  • Fruit colour: Green
  • Flesh colour: Cream
  • Fruit size: Large
  • Bultitude apple group: 1. Green, smooth, no russet, acidic, culinary

Using

  • Good for eating fresh Needs to mature in storage first.
  • Good for cooking
  • Cooking result: Keeps shape
  • Flavour quality: Very good
  • Ripening period: Late season
  • Use / keeping: 3 months or more

Growing

  • Cropping: Good
  • Flowering period: Mid season
  • Flowering group: 3
  • Fertility: Self-sterile
  • Triploid: Yes
  • Poor pollinator: Yes
  • Vigour: Large
  • Biennial tendency
  • Gardening skill: Average
  • Precocity: Slow to start bearing
  • Fruit bearing: Spur-bearer
  • General disease resistance: Average

Climate

  • Suitable for temperate climates

Rhode Island Greening identification photos from official fruit collections


ARS GRIN

©Copyright
ARS GRIN

UK National Fruit Collection

©Crown Copyright more >
UK National Fruit Collection

Rhode Island Greening identification photos from website visitors


Rhode Island Greening apple tape


Rhode Island Greening apple

Triploid (left) and Tetraploid (right) forms tape


Triploid (left) and Tetraploid (right) forms


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)

28 Dec 2010 Sally Smoot34, United States
For a RI greening to be eaten raw you have to sprinkle it with salt, that will make it taste sweet. Trust me, I grew up eating and cooking with greenings. My mother, grandmother, and aunts prided themselves on making superb apple pies and they all swore by greenings as being the best, and necessary for a pie you could be proud of. You do need to add a lot of sugar for the pie to not taste too tart. In RI, in the 60's and 70's, you could find them everywhere but not anymore. I don't know why they fell out of favor, I miss them and have never found a good substitute.
11 Feb 2010 JimIL, United States
Often large and firm fleshed. Not as juicy as some varieties, but keeps its shape well when cooked, and esteemed as a cooking apple. The old, untended tree we inherited from Great Grandpa often developed surface like honeydew. The Rhode Island Greenings grown by a friend show none of this.
20 Oct 2008 AdamARLINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS, United States
These may be favored for pies but they are also pleasant, if not remarkable, eating as well. Generally more tart than otherwise but mild, with hints of cider, grapes, and lemonade. I can't say exactly how long mine had been off the tree--at least a week--but it was still firm, if tender, and refreshing to eat.

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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 Rhode Island Greening 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

Switzerland



Mature heights for Rhode Island Greening trees

This table shows the likely mature height for a Rhode Island Greening 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 3.2 ft
1.0 m		 3.9 ft
1.2 m		 4.7 ft
1.5 m		 5.5 ft
1.7 m		 6.3 ft
1.9 m
M27 3.6 ft
1.1 m		 4.5 ft
1.4 m		 5.4 ft
1.7 m		 6.3 ft
1.9 m		 7.2 ft
2.2 m
M9 5.4 ft
1.7 m		 6.8 ft
2.1 m		 8.1 ft
2.5 m		 9.5 ft
2.9 m		 10.8 ft
3.3 m
Bud.9 5.4 ft
1.7 m		 6.8 ft
2.1 m		 8.1 ft
2.5 m		 9.5 ft
2.9 m		 10.8 ft
3.3 m
Geneva 16 5.4 ft
1.7 m		 6.8 ft
2.1 m		 8.1 ft
2.5 m		 9.5 ft
2.9 m		 10.8 ft
3.3 m
Geneva 11 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
M26 6.8 ft
2.1 m		 8.4 ft
2.6 m		 10.1 ft
3.1 m		 11.8 ft
3.6 m		 13.5 ft
4.1 m
Geneva 30 7.2 ft
2.2 m		 9.0 ft
2.8 m		 10.8 ft
3.3 m		 12.6 ft
3.9 m		 14.4 ft
4.4 m
MM102 7.2 ft
2.2 m		 9.0 ft
2.8 m		 10.8 ft
3.3 m		 12.6 ft
3.9 m		 14.4 ft
4.4 m
M7 8.1 ft
2.5 m		 10.1 ft
3.1 m		 12.2 ft
3.7 m		 14.2 ft
4.3 m		 16.2 ft
5.0 m
M116 8.1 ft
2.5 m		 10.1 ft
3.1 m		 12.2 ft
3.7 m		 14.2 ft
4.3 m		 16.2 ft
5.0 m
MM106 9.0 ft
2.8 m		 11.3 ft
3.5 m		 13.5 ft
4.1 m		 15.8 ft
4.8 m		 18.0 ft
5.5 m
MM111 10.8 ft
3.3 m		 13.5 ft
4.1 m		 16.2 ft
5.0 m		 18.9 ft
5.8 m		 21.6 ft
6.6 m
Bud.118 11.7 ft
3.6 m		 14.6 ft
4.5 m		 17.6 ft
5.4 m		 20.5 ft
6.3 m		 23.4 ft
7.2 m
M25 13.5 ft
4.1 m		 16.9 ft
5.2 m		 20.3 ft
6.2 m		 23.6 ft
7.2 m		 27.0 ft
8.3 m

From an idea by N. Buck - more details.

Where to buy apple trees

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Where to buy apples

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