Higher classification Apple | ||
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Scientific name Malus domestica 'Golden Delicious' Similar | ||
Planting a red haven peach and golden delicious apple tree
The Golden Delicious is a cultivar of apple with a yellow color, not closely related to the Red Delicious apple. According to the US Apple Association website it is one of the 15 most popular apple cultivars in the United States.
Contents
- Planting a red haven peach and golden delicious apple tree
- Appearance and flavor
- History
- Season
- Other West Virginia apples
- Descendent cultivars
- References
Appearance and flavor
Golden Delicious is a large, yellowish-green skinned cultivar and very sweet to the taste. It is prone to bruising and shriveling, so it needs careful handling and storage. It is a favorite for salads, apple sauce, and apple butter.
History
This cultivar is a chance seedling possibly a hybrid of Grimes Golden and Golden Reinette. The original tree was found on the Mullins' family farm in Clay County, West Virginia, United States and was locally known as Mullin's Yellow Seedling and Annit apple. Anderson Mullins sold the tree and propagation rights to Stark Brothers Nurseries, which first marketed it as a companion of their Red Delicious in 1914.
In 2010, an Italian-led consortium announced they had decoded the complete genome of the Golden delicious apple. It had the highest number of genes (57,000) of any plant genome studied to date.
Season
Harvested from autumn through winter.
Other West Virginia apples
West Virginia is the originator of many vegetable and fruit crops, including the apples Grimes Golden, and the Guyandotte, which is believed extinct.