Laxton's Superb

Last updated
'Laxton's Superb' apple
Laxton's Superb (EMLA 1) on tree, National Fruit Collection (acc. 1979-170).jpg
Genus Malus
Species Malus domestica
Hybrid parentage Cellini × 'Cox's Orange Pippin' [1]
Cultivar 'Laxton's Superb'
Origin Laxton Brothers
Flag of England.svg England, Bedford, 1897

The 'Laxton's Superb' is an apple cultivar that was developed in England in 1897. It is a cross breed between Cellini and 'Cox's Orange Pippin' [2] and is not a cross between Wyken Pippin and Cox Orange Pippin. It is a British apple with a green color and a dull red flush. It is a firm-textured dessert apple. The fruit is well known for its sweet and aromatic taste which is likened to the parent species it is derived from, the 'Cox's Orange Pippin'.

Contents

Typical size distribution [3]
55-60 mm60-65 mm65-70 mm70-75 mm75-80 mm
7 %15 %28 %42 %8 %

History

Apple Trees at Bank Hall, Bretherton, the far right blossom tree behind the cedar tree is the Laxton apple tree. Bank Hall Walled Garden Apple Trees May 2010.JPG
Apple Trees at Bank Hall, Bretherton, the far right blossom tree behind the cedar tree is the Laxton apple tree.

'Laxton's Superb' was first bred in 1897 by Laxton Brothers and introduced in 1922 having received an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society in 1921. Laxton Brothers were a famous Victorian era company of plant breeders from Bedford in England. Laxton Brothers were also well known for breeding numerous fruit varieties (apples and strawberries in particular). [6] Thomas Laxton's company continued to trade after his death in 1893 as "Laxton Brothers" as the company was taken over by his sons and grandsons, until it ceased trading in 1957 when it was taken over by Bunyard Nurseries. Bunyard eventually shut down the company and the orchards were built upon. However, the Laxton variety of apple still lives on as the town of Bedford has planted an orchard of the Laxton apple trees. [7] Winston Churchill was also believed to have ordered fruit trees and plants for his Chartwell estate in Westerham, Kent. There are also surviving Laxton apple trees at Bank Hall in Bretherton, Lancashire.

Growing

The Laxton Superb is self-fertile, but cross pollination will maximise the yield. The Laxton Superb generally flowers from April to May annually. The tree will usually provide a heavy crop which is best to be harvested in October. [8] Stong tendency to biennal bearing.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Delicious</span> Apple cultivar

Golden Delicious is a cultivar of apple. It is one of the 15 most popular apple cultivars in the United States. It is not closely related to Red Delicious.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cox's Orange Pippin</span> Apple cultivar

Cox's Orange Pippin, in Britain often referred to simply as Cox, is an apple cultivar first grown in 1825, at Colnbrook in Buckinghamshire, England, by the retired brewer and horticulturist Richard Cox. Though the parentage of the cultivar is unknown, Ribston Pippin seems a likely candidate. DNA analysis of major apple pedigrees has suggested Margil as the parent of Cox, with Ribston Pippin being another Margil seedling. The variety was introduced for sale by the 1850s by Charles Turner, and grown commercially from the 1860s, particularly in the Vale of Evesham in Worcestershire, and later in Kent. A paper by Howard et al seems to suggest that the Cox Orange Pippin is a hybrid between the Cultivars: Rosemary Russet and Margil based on the SNP data 7

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Braeburn</span> Apple cultivar

The Braeburn is a cultivar of apple that is firm to the touch with a red/orange vertical streaky appearance on a yellow/green background. Its color intensity varies with different growing conditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gala (apple)</span> Apple cultivar

Gala is an apple cultivar with a sweet, mild flavour, a crisp but not hard texture, and a striped or mottled orange or reddish appearance. Originating from New Zealand in the 1930s, similar to most named apples, it is clonally propagated. In 2018, it surpassed Red Delicious as the apple cultivar with the highest production in the United States, according to the US Apple Association. It was the first time in over 50 years that any cultivar was produced more than Red Delicious.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honeycrisp</span> Apple cultivar

Honeycrisp is an apple cultivar developed at the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station's Horticultural Research Center at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Designated in 1974 with the MN 1711 test designation, patented in 1988, and released in 1991, the Honeycrisp, once slated to be discarded, has rapidly become a prized commercial commodity, as its sweetness, firmness, and tartness make it an ideal apple for eating raw. "...The apple wasn't bred to grow, store or ship well. It was bred for taste: crisp, with balanced sweetness and acidity." It has larger cells than most apple cultivars, a trait which is correlated with juiciness, as theoretically a higher number of cells rupture when bitten, releasing more juice in the mouth. The Honeycrisp also retains its pigment well and has a relatively long shelf life when stored in cool, dry conditions. Pepin Heights Orchards delivered the first Honeycrisp apples to grocery stores in 1997. The name Honeycrisp was trademarked by the University of Minnesota, but university officials were unsure of its protection status in 2007. It is now the official state fruit of Minnesota. A large-sized honeycrisp will contain about 113 calories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jazz (apple)</span> Apple cultivar

Jazz is a trademarked brand of the Scifresh cultivar of domesticated apple. Scifresh is a cross between Royal Gala and Braeburn. It was developed in New Zealand as part of a collaboration between apple marketer ENZA, orchardists, and the Plant & Food Research institute. The original cross was made in 1985 on trees at Goddard Lane, Havelock North, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. It launched commercially in April 2004. It is hard and crisp but juicy. The colour is flushes of red and maroon over shades of green, yellow and orange. Jazz is a close relative of the Kanzi apple, which is easier to bite and has a more delicate sweet-tart taste.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambrosia (apple)</span> Apple cultivar

'Ambrosia' is a cultivar of apple originating in British Columbia, Canada in the early 1990s. The original tree was first cultivated by the Mennell family of Similkameen Valley, British Columbia, who discovered it growing in their orchard.

Table apples are a group of apple cultivars grown for eating raw as opposed to cooking or cidermaking. Table apples are usually sweet and the most prized exhibit particular aroma variations that differentiate them from other apples. D = Dual purpose

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newton Wonder</span> Apple cultivar

Malus domestica Newton Wonder is a cultivar of apple which is usually eaten cooked due to its sourness. The variety has a similar but slightly sweeter taste than the Bramley apple and is usually used in pies or as a preserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Cox (horticulturist)</span>

Richard Cox was an English brewer and horticulturist who bred the apple varieties Cox's Orange Pippin and Cox's Pomona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lord Lambourne (apple)</span> Apple cultivar

Lord Lambourne is an apple cultivar with a sweet sharp flavor. It was raised by Laxtons Brothers Ltd in 1907 in Bedford, England. Received a Royal Horticultural Society Award of Merit in 1923.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunset (apple)</span> Apple cultivar

The 'Sunset' is an apple cultivar derived from the Cox's Orange Pippin cultivar. Both are found in Great Britain. The fruit has red stripes and an orange flush over a gold background. Usually, part of the apple is red while part of it is yellow. It is similar to 'Cox's Orange Pippin' in that it displays some russetting. The 'Pixie' apple is a distant descendant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allington Pippin</span> Apple cultivar

'Allington Pippin' is an English cultivar of domesticated apple, with a strong flavour that includes hints of pineapple.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alkmene (apple)</span> Flowering plant cultivar

'Alkmene' is a German cultivar of domesticated apple, also called 'Early Windsor'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellison's Orange</span> Apple cultivar

Ellison's Orange is an English cultivar of domesticated apple, it is a cross between the famous Cox's Orange Pippin and Cellini, which it resembles at most in looks and taste, but can develop a distinct aniseed flavor in storage. The variety is much more disease resistant than Cox's and therefore easier to cultivate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winston (apple)</span> Apple cultivar

Winston is an English cultivar of domesticated apple which was first named Winter King because of its availability in the winter, but was renamed as Winston in 1944 or in 1945, after Winston Churchill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reinette du Canada</span> Apple cultivar

Reinette du Canada or Canadian Reinette is, despite its name, an old French cultivar of domesticated apple. It is a reinette type of golden apple, with much russeting, which keeps shape in cooking and is mainly used for that purpose especially in apple strudel.

Wyken Pippin is an old cultivar of domesticated apple originating in the Netherlands, or have originated in the garden of the Wyken Manor house in England from a seedling that was sourcing back to the Netherlands or Belgium, possibly in the early 1700s. It has several other names including 'Alford Prize' and 'Pheasant's Eye'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laxton Brothers</span>

Laxton Brothers was a business founded by Edward Augustine Lowe Laxton MBE (1869–1951) and William Hudson Lowe Laxton (1866–1923) who were notable horticulturists, pioneers of plant breeding and experts on fruit production creating several new strains of fruit such as 'Laxtonberry', 'Laxton's Delicious' plum tree, Laxton's No.1 red currant, Laxton’s Superb apples and the award-winning Lord Lambourne apple.

References

  1. National Fruit Collection , retrieved 30 October 2015
  2. H. Muranty, Using whole genome SNP data to reconstruct a large...., 2020
  3. 1 2 Silbereisen, Robert; Götz, Gerhard; Hartmann, Walter; Tambour, Gisela; Eberle, Christl (1996). Obstsorten - Atlas. Ulmer (Eugen). ISBN   9783800155378.
  4. 1 2 Petzold Herbert, Apfelsorten, 1990
  5. Obst und Garten 10/2000
  6. Garden Action, (2010) "Laxton's Superb Desert Apple", http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_veg_diary/fruit_veg_mini_project_september_2-apple-laxtons-superb.htm
  7. Practically Edible, (2010) "Thomas Laxton", "Thomas Laxton". Archived from the original on 2010-07-13. Retrieved 2010-10-25.
  8. Bunyard, E.A. (1920) "A Handbook of Fruits", P96.