A pearmain, also formerly spelled "permain", is a type of apple. The name may once have been applied to a particular variety of apple that kept well, although in more modern times its inclusion in varietal names was, like the term 'Pippin', "largely decoration" [1] rather than indicating any shared qualities.
The original 'Pearmain' variety has not been conclusively identified and may now be extinct.
There has been some debate over the origin of the name "pearmain". The pomologist Robert Hogg suggested that it originated in mediaeval times from pyrus magnus, "great pear", and referred to a type of apple having a large pear-like shape. [2] Hogg believed that the variety 'Winter Pearmain' was both "the original of all the Pearmains" [2] and the oldest recorded variety of apple in England, with evidence it was cultivated in Norfolk in c.1200. [2]
Other sources suggest that the name "pearmain" was in fact originally used for a type of pear, and was first applied to apples only during the 16th century. [3] It has been suggested the word was derived from Old French pearmain and possibly ultimately from Latin parmensia "of Parma", [3] though the latter is probably folk etymology.
The third and most likely derivation, by the philologist Ernest Weekley, also suggests the term was originally applied to pears, but that it came from Middle English parmain, permain, derived from Old French parmaindre "to endure", and referred to the long keeping qualities of some varieties. [4] Rejecting the etymology from parmensia, Weekley noted that 17th-century references to a "pompire" or "pyramalum" (i.e. an "apple-pear") suggested that the original 'Pearmain' apple was named for some quality associated with the pearmain pear; i.e. hardness and long keeping ability. [5]
Shape: C = Conical, Ob = Oblong, Ov = Ovate, R = Round, COb = Conical oblong, ROv = Roundish ovate, ROb = Roundish oblate, ObOv = Oblongovate
Pearmain apple cultivars from England [6]
Of uncertain origin
Pearmain apple cultivars from America [7] [8]
Pearmain cultivars from Germany
There have been many efforts to identify the original 'Pearmain' apple, of supposedly mediaeval origin. Hogg suggested the 'Winter Pearmain' to be the original, and synonymous with the 'Old Pearmain', though S. A. Beach, in his work Apples of New York, noted that "several different varieties" had been propagated in America and England under the name 'Winter Pearmain' and that in many descriptions "it is impossible to determine which Winter Pearmain the writer had in mind". [10]
By contrast, Hogg believed the apple identified in some catalogues of the time as 'Old Pearmain' to in fact be a variety called 'Royal Pearmain'. [11] Hogg later claimed to have identified the "true Old Pearmain" growing in the Dymock area. [12] The current 'Old Pearmain' in the National Fruit Collection was received in 1924 from a Mr. Kelsey in Surrey, but is probably neither Hogg's variety nor the ancient 'Pearmain'. [13]
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
The damson or damson plum, also archaically called the "damascene", is an edible drupaceous fruit, a subspecies of the plum tree. Varieties of insititia are found across Europe, but the name damson is derived from and most commonly applied to forms that are native to Great Britain. Damsons are relatively small ovoid plum-like fruit with a distinctive, somewhat astringent taste, and are widely used for culinary purposes, particularly in fruit preserves and jams.
Pyrus communis, the common pear, is a species of pear native to central and eastern Europe, and western Asia.
Russet apples are varieties and cultivars of apples that regularly exhibit russeting, partial or complete coverage with rough patches of greenish-brown to yellowish-brown colour. While russeting is generally an undesirable trait in modern cultivars, russet varieties are often seen as more traditional, and associated with aromatic flavours.
'Ribston Pippin' is a triploid cultivar of apples, also known by other names including 'Essex Pippin', 'Beautiful Pippin', 'Formosa', 'Glory of York', 'Ribstone', 'Rockhill's Russet', 'Travers', and 'Travers's Reinette'.
Claygate Pearmain is an apple cultivar. It was found at Claygate, Surrey in England and brought to the attention of the Royal Horticultural Society by John Braddick in 1821. The apple was a popular eating apple in Victorian times and spread through England and to America.
'Adams Pearmain', also called 'Adam's Parmane', is a cultivar of apple. It was introduced to the Horticultural Society of London in 1826 by Robert Adams, under the name 'Norfolk Pippin'. The fruit is large, varying from two and a half inches to three inches high, and about the same in breadth at the widest part. It is pearmain-shaped, very even, and regularly formed. The skin is pale yellow tinged with green, and covered with delicate russet on the shaded side; but deep yellow tinged with red, and delicately streaked with livelier red on the side facing the sun. The flesh is reddish, crisp, juicy, rich, and sugary, with an agreeable and pleasantly perfumed flavor. This Cultivar is a cross between Reinette Franche’ and ‘Reinette des Carmes. (5)
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
The Foxwhelp is a very old cider apple cultivar, originating in the west Midlands of England.
The Styre or Stire, also known as the Forest Styre, was an old English variety of cider apple which was formerly common in the Forest of Dean. It is currently thought to be extinct, but may still survive in old orchards or gardens.
The Redstreak, also spelt Redstrake, Red Streak or Red-streak, is or was a very old variety of cider apple formerly commonly planted in England.
King of the Pippins or Reine des Reinettes (French), Goldparmäne, Wintergoldparmäne german is an old cultivar of domesticated apple originating from France, and is still used in its original form as well as in many derivative cultivars that have been bred from it. It was also formerly known as Golden Winter Pearmain, because of its ripening period at late fall.
Golden Russet is an old American cultivar of domesticated apple which is excellent for fresh eating as well as for apple cider production. It is a russet apple and is therefore especially used as a cider apple. It is sometimes known as 'English Golden Russet', and has frequently been confused with 'English Russet'.
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.
'Clarke Pearmain', also called 'Golden Pearmain', 'Glouster Pearmain, 'Yellow Pearmain', and possibly the same as 'Columbian Russet', is a medium-sized apple cultivar. It was grown at Monticello by Thomas Jefferson.
Cornish Aromatic is an apple cultivar with a crisp, nut-like aromatic flavour that was first recorded in Cornwall in 1813.
'Nonpareil' is a class of old apple cultivars. It is a type of russet apple.
The Coccagee, also spelt 'Cackagee' or 'Cockagee' and sometimes known as the 'Irish Crab' or 'Lord Cork's Crab', is or was a variety of cider apple, known in Ireland and the West of England.
The Devonshire Quarrenden is a dessert apple cultivar historically grown and probably originating in England, although it has also been suggested as originating in France. A variety of local names and spellings, including "Red Quarrenden", "Quarrington", "Quarender", and the "Sack Apple", have been recorded in the past.
