Genus Malus Hybrid parentage 'McIntosh' × Unknown Higher classification Apple | Species Malus pumila Scientific name Malus domestica 'Spartan' Rank Cultivar | |
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Origin Summerland, British Columbia, Canada, 1936 Similar Apples, Cortland, Idared, James Grieve apple, Empire Apples | ||
The 'Spartan' is an apple cultivar developed by Dr. R. C Palmer and introduced in 1936 from the Federal Agriculture Research Station in Summerland, British Columbia, now known as the Pacific Agri-food Research Centre - Summerland. The 'Spartan' is notable for being the first new breed of apple produced from a formal scientific breeding program. The apple was supposed to be a cross between two North American cultivars, the 'McIntosh' and the 'Newtown Pippin', but recently, genetic analysis showed the 'Newtown Pippin' was not one of the parents and its identity remains a mystery. The 'Spartan' apple is considered a good all-purpose apple. The apple is of medium size and has a bright-red blush, but can have background patches of greens and yellows.
Contents
Disease susceptibility
Sports and descendants
