Hi all,

I wonder if anyone would be so kind and confirm what this fruit is
please? (We have an idea but don't want to seed anyone's mind sorry
by saying what). ;-)

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/5772409/What%20is%20it.jpg

It was just plucked from a back garden tree in Essex (a friends). ;-)

Cheers, T i m

A Cox's Apple which forgot to grow or it was too late to grow
..



"T i m" wrote in message ...

Hi all,

I wonder if anyone would be so kind and confirm what this fruit is
please? (We have an idea but don't want to seed anyone's mind sorry
by saying what). ;-)

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/5772409/What%20is%20it.jpg

It was just plucked from a back garden tree in Essex (a friends). ;-)

Cheers, T i m

On 12/03/2013 10:25, T i m wrote:
Hi all,

I wonder if anyone would be so kind and confirm what this fruit is
please? (We have an idea but don't want to seed anyone's mind sorry
by saying what). ;-)

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/5772409/What%20is%20it.jpg

It was just plucked from a back garden tree in Essex (a friends). ;-)

Cheers, T i m

Probably an ornamental crab apple if it's off a tree.

On 2013-03-12 10:59:06 +0000, David Hill said:

On 12/03/2013 10:25, T i m wrote:
Hi all,

I wonder if anyone would be so kind and confirm what this fruit is
please? (We have an idea but don't want to seed anyone's mind sorry
by saying what). ;-)

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/5772409/What%20is%20it.jpg

It was just plucked from a back garden tree in Essex (a friends). ;-)

Cheers, T i m

Probably an ornamental crab apple if it's off a tree.

Or a Chaenomeles quince? An old one, that is. Ours hasn't finished
flowering yet. I did wonder about bletted medlar but the bottom of the
fruit probably isn't right.
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

In article ,
Sacha wrote:
On 2013-03-12 10:59:06 +0000, David Hill said:
On 12/03/2013 10:25, T i m wrote:

I wonder if anyone would be so kind and confirm what this fruit is
please? (We have an idea but don't want to seed anyone's mind sorry
by saying what). ;-)

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/5772409/What%20is%20it.jpg
Probably an ornamental crab apple if it's off a tree.

Or a Chaenomeles quince? An old one, that is. Ours hasn't finished
flowering yet. I did wonder about bletted medlar but the bottom of the
fruit probably isn't right.

No. Chaenomeles doesn't have stalks, and is almost always much
larger and with many more seeds and a better defined core. A crab
or wildling is the obvious answer, but I don't know if there are
any similar fruit in the Maloideae. It's fairly easy to check if
it belongs to the Pyrus/Cydonia/etc. group by checking if the flesh
has stone cells (i.e. feels slightly gritty to the teeth). If
not, it's almost certainly Malus or a close ally.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"T i m" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

I wonder if anyone would be so kind and confirm what this fruit is
please? (We have an idea but don't want to seed anyone's mind sorry
by saying what). ;-)

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/5772409/What%20is%20it.jpg

It was just plucked from a back garden tree in Essex (a friends). ;-)

Cheers, T i m

Crab apple, mine still have fruit on the trees from last year

--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
Holders of National Collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cvs
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk

On Tue, 12 Mar 2013 11:30:09 +0000 (GMT), wrote:

In article ,
Sacha wrote:
On 2013-03-12 10:59:06 +0000, David Hill said:
On 12/03/2013 10:25, T i m wrote:

I wonder if anyone would be so kind and confirm what this fruit is
please? (We have an idea but don't want to seed anyone's mind sorry
by saying what). ;-)

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/5772409/What%20is%20it.jpg
Probably an ornamental crab apple if it's off a tree.

Or a Chaenomeles quince? An old one, that is. Ours hasn't finished
flowering yet. I did wonder about bletted medlar but the bottom of the
fruit probably isn't right.

No. Chaenomeles doesn't have stalks, and is almost always much
larger and with many more seeds and a better defined core. A crab
or wildling is the obvious answer, but I don't know if there are
any similar fruit in the Maloideae. It's fairly easy to check if
it belongs to the Pyrus/Cydonia/etc. group by checking if the flesh
has stone cells (i.e. feels slightly gritty to the teeth). If
not, it's almost certainly Malus or a close ally.



Thanks for all the interesting replies folks.

FWIW, the picture example I offered is typical of all the fruit left
on this tree.

Mum tasted a bit of one and she thinks it tasted 'appley', and not at
all sour or bitter (considering it was so small etc). We wondered if
it had sweetened up as it matured etc?

Would a picture of the tree or a leaf (if there are any) cinch it do
you think?

Cheers, T i m


p.s. If she's still got that sample I'll get her to check for the
stone cells etc.

In article ,
T i m wrote:

Mum tasted a bit of one and she thinks it tasted 'appley', and not at
all sour or bitter (considering it was so small etc). We wondered if
it had sweetened up as it matured etc?

That's fairly common, but crab apples aren't always sour or bitter.

Would a picture of the tree or a leaf (if there are any) cinch it do
you think?

Not of the tree. A leaf might, but someone would need to check
whether there are any Malus allies with similar fruit. Personally,
I would call it a crab apple and leave it at that - trying to
divide them up into Malus this and Malus that is a job for a
more botanically adept person (with all due apologies). I never
bother.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On Tue, 12 Mar 2013 13:35:09 +0000 (GMT), wrote:

In article ,
T i m wrote:

Mum tasted a bit of one and she thinks it tasted 'appley', and not at
all sour or bitter (considering it was so small etc). We wondered if
it had sweetened up as it matured etc?

That's fairly common, but crab apples aren't always sour or bitter.

Ah, ok, thanks.

Would a picture of the tree or a leaf (if there are any) cinch it do
you think?

Not of the tree.

Ok.

A leaf might, but someone would need to check
whether there are any Malus allies with similar fruit.

Ok.

Personally,
I would call it a crab apple and leave it at that - trying to
divide them up into Malus this and Malus that is a job for a
more botanically adept person (with all due apologies).

None needed here, I'm an engineer with blue fingers. [1] ;-)

I never
bother.

And that's fine. It was just 'an interest of ours to see if it was
easy enough to pin down exactly, and I appreciate it may not be with
such restricted information or further (disproportionate) effort.

Thanks again for your help.

Cheers, T i m


[1] I did have a bit of an allotment (a neighbours garden) over the
last few years with mixed success. For much of it (and ignoring the
'organic' issues etc) it was much much cheaper, quicker and easier
(for me) to pop up the road and buy stuff from the market or
supermarket when required.

There was one goodun though, one of the few veg I actually 'enjoy'
(rather than just eat because I know I should) is runner beans and
they seemed to grow thick and fast. So fast that I gave most of them
away in fact (we don't have room for a big freezer) and until the
black (green / white?)fly turned up. ;-(