How can I identify the apple variety in my orchard?
Question:
I live on land that was once an apple orchard. There is only one tree left and it produces great apples for pies and sauce. Its days are numbered and I would like to identify the tree so that I can plant more trees of this variety. I have tried to match the apples of my tree to pictures of apple varieties but there are so many varieties that I can’t single out my tree. It is about 20 feet tall. Please advise.
Answer:
Frustratingly to those in exactly your situation, who inherited or acquired a lovely unidentified apple and want to propagate/replace it, unlabeled apple cultivars are very difficult to pinpoint. As you note, there are already so many varieties, and apples and crabapples hybridize freely in the wild, so it’s a guessing game to visually identify them.
However, not all hope is lost. There are several services that will run DNA analysis on samples and try to identify them for you:
MOFGA “DNA Fingerprinting Makes Apple Detection Easier for Fruit Enthusiasts”
MOFGA “What Apple Is This: Identifying Apples in 2020” (an older link, I’m not certain the program is active)
UC Davis Foundation Plant Services ID System (expensive, but offered here if you really are motivated)
I haven’t used these services, and can’t guarantee any results, but they’re probably the best option you’ll have to identify your apple.
Happy gardening.