NW Heritage Trees – West Trellis

Almota

A seedling found in Pullman Washington in 1894 by C.R. Mays and named after the town Almota. A large conical productive apple of very good quality for dessert use. Ripe in mid season. It has tender juicy sub-acid flesh. When riper the skin appears light yellow with pinkish/pale orange blush and different shades of red/carmine splashes and streaks with yellow dots. The tree produced abundantly in Seattle.

Baxter
Marilyn Showalter of Shine, WA found this apple in an old orchard next to her property.
The orchard is planted on the cliffs over the Puget Sound, along what was the old road
for the area. This tree is growing next to the apple called The Queen & sold by Layritz
Nursery of Victoria British Columbia from 1909-1927 in the same catalog. Baxter
originated in Canada 1813 from seed brought from France.
This apple appears to be Baxter by identification by Lori Brakken, but DNA testing will
show confirmation or not. Baxter is ripe October/November. It has large, round fruit with
some bloom, dark with red stripes and a muddled appearance. It keeps fairly well, is a
good cooking apple and is productive. Baxter might be more common than thought
because it could be mistaken for a more common variety called Domine.
This apple is important to our region because it shows that the people living along the
water used boats freely to get to the fruit tree nurseries of Victoria. These nurseries had
a strong connection directly to apple cultivars from England People living along the
water got around easier on boat than by land which was quite often boggy.

Black Stayman

(Blaxtayman) A “sport” of Stayman Winesap discovered in 1926 at Wenatchee by J. H. Dickey and by William Barron near Chelan Washington. It ripens two weeks earlier and is a solid red color. Fruit is medium to large. Medium bloom time. Triploid. Susceptible to scab. Ripens very late in the season and an excellent keeper.

Blenheim Orange
Once there was a farm where the Woodinville Park and Ride Transit Center is now. On
the slope above the present parking lot there are still old apple trees at least 100 years
old. Ed Scullywest found this old orchard and sent Lori Brakken samples to identify.
Along with Blenheim Orange, there is Winesap, Early Margaret, an interesting White
Transparent with pink blush, and several apples that are dead now.
Blenheim Orange is also an old English variety as Early Margaret is. It has many
names (being an older variety) and was available in early nurseries around the 1850s in
the WA area. It was most likely available through the English connections of Victoria
nurseries earlier than that.
The apples are ripe in October. It is usually a brightly colored, large apple. The flesh is
tart and sweet. It is good for storage, baking, and fresh eating.
This apple is important for the collection as it shows the varieties available to early
farms in the area.

Buckley Giant

A seedling of unknown parentage discovered in 1954 at Sumner, WA, distributed by the Buckley Nursery Company, Buckley, WA It was introduced in 1963. The apple is large, oval shaped with a yellow color covered with a red blush. The flesh is white and crisp. Fruit ripens September 1-10. Recommended for dessert and kitchen use. Tree is medium size, round headed and highly productive.

Cellini

This tree is from the Forsberg/Fisher orchard which was planted around 1870. The orchard sits on the Northwest Washington coast near access to the water for direct access to Victoria and fruit tree nurseries there. Cellini was offered in the 1878 Layritz catalog. It originated in England, raised by Leonard Phillips, nurseryman of Vauxhall; introduced in 1828.

Cellini was well-known in England as a cooking apple. It produces heavy crops annually. Fruit is medium size, yellow with a red blush. The white flesh is sometimes tinged pink. It blooms with Bramley and ripens in mid-September. The flavor is sub-acid, juicy and aromatic but not crisp. This variety is impressive here in Northwest Washington but not common elsewhere in the U.S.

Charles Ross

A Peasgood Nonsuch X Cox’s Orange Pippin from Berkshire England in 1890 and named for Charles Ross. . It is favored in Northern England and Scotland because it thrives where the growing season is short. It is scab resistant. The orange/red striped medium to large apple ripens in September. It sets large crops and has a sweet/tart flavor. It was offered by the Layritz Nursery in Victoria B.C. and grows well on the Olympic Peninsula.

Civil War Apple
This apple was located by Robert & Annette Sweet at the Rainier View Christian Church
in Parkland WA. The church was built in 1955 on 15 acres which had an old orchard on
it. The story is that a Civil War Union Army leader, of no known name or rank, planted
the orchard in memory of his fallen soldiers.
To help control anthracnose, Robert Sweet and Don Stewart did quite a bunch of
pruning on them. Bill Horn shared the scion with Lori Brakken.
Bill Horn remembers the apples being hard and dark green in late summer. Lori Brakken
has not gotten fruit from the grafts. We are hoping to have the apple DNA tested for the
variety identification.
This variety is important to the NW in that it is part of the history of settlement and
development of the NW. It is a very interesting story, which we are pursuing.

Double Red Rome

A bud mutation of Rome Beauty found in Wapato in 1917. A red apple that is productive and a good keeper.

Duwamish Red
Linda Chism found in 2021 on Duwamish River, Kellogg Island in Seattle; DNA tested-
Red Astrachan x Red Delicious; found 2021 on Kellogg Island
This information is from Linda Chism. “It was identified through DNA testing to be a
Red Astrachan and Red Delicious cross. Found near the Duwamish River on Kellogg
Island in Seattle. The tree was DNA tested by WSU in 2022 and was new to their
database. Its two parents were found to be Red Astrachan and (Red) Delicious. WSU
assigned it the identifier ALCS-001 and I named it Duwamish Red.
The apples are on the small side and ripen early – sometimes as early as mid-August.
Their color is reddish on the sunny side of each apple and lighter red to yellowish where
shaded. The flesh is sweet but soft- best use is cooking right away for apple butter and
applesauce.
The tree grows on the remnant of an original island (now a preserve) known as “Muddy
Island” in the Duwamish River, opposite from the historic Duwamish Peoples’ longhouse
location known as “Herring’s House.”
While kayaking on the river, I noticed this tree in bloom one spring and was able to
locate it later when tides allowed landing on the island.
This variety is unique to the Northwest as it was likely planted by the hands of a
Duwamish person or a newcomer, probably around the time the two cultures were
coexisting in areas along the Duwamish River, before settlements started getting
squeezed out by industry and dredging. Somehow, a portion of the island remained and
the tree quietly continued to thrive through all the changes that came to its
surroundings.”

Early Margaret
Once there was a farm where the Woodinville Park and Ride Transit Center is now. On
the slope above the present parking lot there are still old apple trees at least 100 years
old. Ed Scullywest found this old orchard and sent Lori Brakken samples to identify.
This is the only Early Margaret, true to the descriptions that Lori Brakken has seen.
Along with Early Margaret, there is Winesap, Blenheim Orange, an interesting White
Transparent with pink blush, and several apples that are dead now.
Early Margaret has many, many names because it is such an old, popular apple. It was
written about in England in 1665, brought to the US in 1803. Many NW nursery catalogs
list one of the names of this apple as Early Red Juneating.
There is no basin on this apple which distinguishes it. Early Margaret is ripe in July, very
sweet and attracts the insects by its perfumy fragrance, so it can be buggy. It’s a
medium size, has tacky skin and pretty red to crimson multicolored stripes. Flesh
softens quickly when ripe. The flesh, stained deep red near the skin, is very fruity
flavored and fragrant. It is eaten fresh for a short season in July. Then, perhaps use it
to make sauces or for drying.
This apple is important for the collection as it shows the varieties available to early
farms in the area.

Early Strawberry
Lori Brakken found this apple growing along the road just south of the ferry terminal at
Kingston, WA. The Ferry Terminal is located in Apple Tree Cove, named for the Malus
fusca, native crabapple that once flourished in the estuary. From Wikipedia – “Appletree
Cove was named “from the numbers of that tree which were in blossom around its
shores” by Charles Wilkes who surveyed the area on April 9, 1841, on the Wilkes
expedition. Reportedly these Pacific crabapple trees were cleared by Benjamin
Bannister after settling at the bay in 1874.””
This apple has many names because it is a very old variety that was known before
One common name for it in fruit tree nursery catalogs was Red Juneating. It is a
very common apple in old orchards, ripe in June and July, different from the Early
Margaret in that the Early Strawberry is more oblate and has a basin. It has multi-colors
of red to crimson stripes and streaks and is fragrant and soft. It is good for fresh eating
when just ripe – it’s tart sweet and fruity but it softens quickly and doesn’t keep long
past August.
This apple was important to settlers for its early season ripening and it was commonly
offered over 100 years ago.

Fort Vancouver

This had been the oldest living apple tree in Washington state. It was planted in 1825 at the Hudson’s Bay Company’s Fort Vancouver from seeds brought from London England. The apple is smallish and green, ripe in September and makes good pies and cider. The tree was protected in a fenced area from incursions of urban growth and highways with a plaque commemorating the historic tree. A tree that may be a seedling from the old tree remained in the fenced area. In about 2022 the original tree died but grafts were taken from the tree to make the tree now in our fruit garden.

Hanner’s Jumbo

A sport of Stark’s Jumbo, related to Spokane Beauty released by Daniel Hanner of Hood River OR in 1970. It is a red sweet/tart oval apple that is very juicy and prized for cider. It is a very large apple, weighing up to 3 pounds.

Indiana Favorite

A seedling of Vandevere Pippin from Fayette County Indiana in 1828. It is a red striped sweet juicy apple ripe in the late season. Offered by the Layritz Nursery of Victoria B.C. in 1878 and found in the Forsberg/Fisher orchard on the American side of the channel.

Lord Suffield

Found by Lori Brakken in Port Angeles WA, it was sold by the Layritz Nursery of Victoria, British Columbia in the late 19th and early 20th century and was grown in NW Washington. It came from Manchester England, near the estate of Lord Suffield and was released in 1836. The apples are yellow and ripen in mid-August. The fruit is unique, a Codlin type, as the chunks cook down to make a smooth, sweet/tart frothy sauce. It is an abundant producer on a small spreading shaped tree.

Multnomah

Released by nurseryman Herman Lewis in Portland Oregon in 1923. It is a cross of Red Rome X Newtown Pippin. It is a large oblong yellow apple, sometimes with a pink blush that ripens in late fall. It is tart and juicy, great for baking and a good keeper.

Nihonmachi
This tree was located in the International District, Seattle, in an area that once was a
produce patch across the street from the Panama Hotel. Now this lot is high rise
housing. The apple was discovered by Barb Burrill and brought to Lori Brakken for
identification. The tree could easily be 60 to 80 years old or older. It appears to be a
possible seedling of Ralls Jennet (parent of Fuji). Ralls was known as a favorite variety
of the Japanese and the apple breeding program in Japan. Fuji was developed in
Japan. A seed could easily make it’s way in a pocket from Japan or even the variety
found here as Ralls was available here too. Since it appears to be a seedling, it was
named ‘Nihonmachi’ which means Japan Town. It would be interesting to do the DNA
on this apple.
It is ripe late in October to November. Medium to small size apples are yellow to red
base color with red stripes, very similar to Ralls. The flavor is like Ralls/Fuji too. The
fruit is firm and juicy and prized for fresh eating or baking.
This interesting apple belongs in the collection as it reflects the tastes and lifestyle of
Japanese settlers to the Seattle area.

Norton’s Seedling

Dr. Robert Norton former director of the WSU Mt. Vernon station, started his own small orchard on Vashon Island and was a founding member of the Vashon Island Fruit Club orchard. It is now the Dr. Robert Norton Memorial Orchard. Dr. Norton found this seedling in his orchard in East Wenatchee and planted it in his orchard on Maury Island in 2004. He thought it to be a superior variety and worth keeping. It is a medium size conical shaped yellow apple with a red blush.

Orenco

A seedling found in the Old Pioneer Cemetery in Oregon City Oregon. The tree was 28 years old in 1906. It was offered by the Oregon Nursery Company in Orenco Oregon. It is a red crisp juicy sweet apple, ripe in mid-September. Prized for eating fresh or pies it is scab resistant though a shy bearer.

Russian Early
This apple was brought to our attention by Zoltan Szigethy of Bainbridge Island. It is one
of two very similar trees. The trees are growing near the old Blakely Mill, and the old
Swedish Cemetery is close by. Northern European and Swedish immigrants worked at
the mill. Russian pomology books list several white apples that might be these apples.
Lori Brakken is still observing the characteristics of these apples. They could be
seedlings from the same parent plant, showing different subtle characteristics.
Both Russian Early and its probable sister tree have apples that are white, ripe in July,
gone in August, drop from the trees when ripe and have, very fragrant fruit and
blossoms. They differ in having bloom (powder that can be rubbed off) or not at all,
having russet or not at all, size of tree (very small or medium size).
These apples are important to the collection because they are unique, not common at
all, and historical to immigrants settling on Bainbridge Island.

Scarlet Staymared

A bud mutation of Stayman Winesap that is deep red. Found in 1930 in Wenatchee in 1930 it was sold by Stark Bros Nursery. It has a sweet/tart flavor and is ripe in October.

Spokane Beauty

A very large yellow apple striped red, rivaling the Wolf River in size. It was planted as a seedling by Grandma Maxon near Walla Walla in about 1890 and known as Maxon’s Seedling until it was renamed Spokane Beauty around 1900. It has crisp juicy flesh and ripens in mid to late season. Used for cooking, fresh eating and impressing your friends with its huge size. Grown and bragged upon by home gardeners throughout the state of Washington.

Summer Pear
Summer Pear is the name of this apple. It is an apple and not a pear. Lori Brakken
found this apple tree in the brush on Bainbridge Island, above what was ‘Blakely Mill’,
an old lumber mill site. There were northern European settlers that worked in that mill
and could have brought seeds or starts of this apple. In searching for apple varieties
that fit the qualities of this apple, there is an apple described as a ‘Summer Pear’ in
Russian pomology books. It will be interesting to get DNA testing on this apple.
This apple is close to white, long conic, medium size, with rough skin, smooth russet in
cavity around stem, pear-like fragrance, ripe in August. It cooks firm and fragrant,
though it turns mealy fast. A bowl of these apples will send unique pear fragrance
throughout the room.

Surprise

A round pink fleshed apple with red over yellow skin. It is a descendant of the Niedzwetzkyana red fleshed apple in our inner oval. It is tart and high in tannin and used to make cider, ripe in October. From Turkey in about 1830.

Swaar
This scion was brought from an old tree in Sequim, WA by Marilyn Couture.
Swaar is another very old variety that is common in old homesteads on the islands and
along the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Port Angeles to Bellingham. Swaar was brought
into the US and Canada on the east coast by Dutch settlers and available in nurseries in
Swaar means heavy apple in Low Dutch. It is heavily russeted with some yellow
showing through. The fruit is dense, pleasant, mild, and juicy. It ripens late in our
climate but is a very good keeper. It was a good apple for homestead cooking and
storage.

Sweet Alice

A white yellow medium size apple that ripens in late August and is prized for cooking. Found at the Sehmel Homestead Park in Gig Harbor Wa, it was reported to Larry McGraw of the Oregon Home Orchard Society who helped trace the apple back to the pioneer Luelling Nursery in Milwaukie Oregon. First offered from 1850-1857, it was named by Seth Luelling for his daughter Alice, who died in 1862.

Wynooche

Wynooche Early was a numbered selection NY 55140-9 introduced in about 1967 from New York Fruit Testing that was field tested around the nation. New York never named it. It was grown in Montesano in Southwest Washington at the mouth of the Wynooche river by H. Hughes who promoted it as a variety to grow in that wet climate. It is a red over yellow early season scab immune sweet/tart apple ripe in mid-August that has become a favorite in Western Washington.

White Pippin

Originating in Virginia in the early 1800’s it was widely planted by pioneers in the Pacific Northwest. Very large old trees are in the Anacortes area and in general around the waterways of the Sound. A reliable yearly producer of large rich acid-balanced crisp apples that bloom in mid-season and ripen in October. Trees are upright and vigorous. The skin is yellow with many russet dots.

White Transparent with Pink Blush
Once there was a farm where the Woodinville Park and Ride Transit Center is now. On
the slope above the present parking lot there are still old apple trees at least 100 years
old. Ed Scullywest found this old orchard and sent Lori Brakken samples to identify.
Along with this interesting White Transparent with a pink blush, there is Winesap,
Blenheim Orange, Early Margaret, and several apples that are dead now.
This White Transparent like apple is very interesting. The apples are ripe in July/August.
When fruit set is heavy, the apples are small and crabapple sized in clusters. When fruit
set is thin, the apples get larger and are about 3 inches diameter, appearing like a
Yellow Transparent but snow white and if there is a blush, it is pink. The flesh is soft
and white, subacid with no stripes. The area where the tree is growing is very shady, so
it will be interesting to see what develops in the NW Fruit orchard.
There is a White Transparent (possibly several mentioned) in the fruit collection lists of
the USDA sponsored expeditions to Russia in1870 to bring back varieties hoped to be
hardy in the northern US. Lori Brakken has not found a definite reference, nursery
catalog listing or description for this apple. It will be interesting to see what DNA testing
turns up.
This apple is important for the collection as it shows quite a diversity of apple varieties
available 100 years ago.

Yellow Bellflower
Two trees, remnants from a very old orchard located about a mile on the water front,
just north of English Camp (~1859) on San Juan Island were DNA tested and found to
be Swaar and this Yellow Bellflower. This variety of apple is very old and was available
when the English inhabited the northern part of the island.
This tree is growing on the property that Nancy Webb of SJI grew up on and she
brought Lori Brakken the apple for identification. The property is now owned by the
Westcott Bay Shellfish Company. The fruit was unusual on this Bellflower and Lori
Brakken thought it good to compare it to the Yellow Bellflower in the NW Fruit orchard.
It seemed very small, tart and juicy in contrast to the Yellow Bellflower’s description in
books. The tree is smallish and compact, which could be the location and soil, but it is
worth checking out and comparing to the variety we have. This variety is all yellow, has
no stripes and is ripe in October around our area.
This apple is important because it is quite possibly a remnant of the English settled era
of the San Juan Island and adds an interesting story to the collection of apple trees.