Cultivar 110: Whitney

Whitney is a very large crabapple, usually treated as a baccata seedling. It was selected by A. R. Whitney of Franklin Grove, Illinois, and documented before 1865. Prairie and northern sources remember it as an older crab, once widely planted and economically important. It was later usually called Whitney or Whitney No. 20. [S2] [S5] [S8]

Sources describe the fruit as unusually large for a crabapple, about 5 cm across, and round to ovate. The skin is yellow with red striping or a deep red wash. The flesh is yellowish, crisp, and juicy. Quality is generally described as good to excellent, which helps explain why it stood out among older crabs. [S2] [S8] A late 19th century South Dakota bulletin went further and called Whitney, along with Virginia and Martha, one of the three best crab and hybrid sorts then under discussion. [S7]

Whitney ripens in late August to early September, placing it among the early crabapples and summer fruits for prairie use. [S8] South Dakota recommendation tables listed it as a sweet crab for trial across all three state zones. Earlier district recommendations also placed it among crab and hybrid sorts suitable for all districts. [S3] [S6] It was recommended for general cultivation in late 19th century regional guidance, and later nursery lists show that it remained widely offered in South Dakota. [S4] [S7]

The tree is usually described as upright, and one early source calls it very upright. [S7] Prairie descriptions also call it a slow grower, moderately productive, and short lived in Manitoba. [S8] Older South Dakota observations are mixed but useful. One report called it hardy in tree but a tardy bearer, while another ranked it just behind Duchess for early and continuous bearing. [S7] Additional grower reports show that it could survive and bear under difficult prairie conditions, but young trees could also suffer badly in hot, dry years. [S7]

Its hardiness record is practical rather than neatly zoned. Whitney was repeatedly recommended across South Dakota districts and appears often in prairie and northern planting lists, which supports its place among the classic hardy crabapples of the northern plains. [S3] [S6] [S7] At the same time, prairie sources also say it could be short lived, especially in Manitoba, so its endurance and longevity did not match its early reputation. [S2] [S8]

Whitney also mattered as a working orchard tree. South Dakota sources mention it as a stock for top working, though experience there was not wholly favorable because some grafted varieties overgrew the stock union. [S6] In broader historical context, it belongs with the early Siberian crab and crab hybrid tradition that northern breeders and growers used to push fruit culture into colder regions. [S1] [S5]

Summary source basis

• S1: New Hardy Fruits for the Northwest
• S2: Edible Apples in Prairie Canada
• S3: South Dakota Fruit Garden
• S4: Nursery Plants Available from South Dakota Nurseries
• S5: Northern Plant Novelties for 1944
• S6: A Study of Northwestern Apples
• S7: Fruit Culture
• S8: TreeFruitsGrownInPrairieOrchards WRLeslie 1946 HQ

This summary currently draws chiefly from Fruit Culture, with 10 additional supporting sources linked below.

Featured source descriptions

“Named as one of the old time varieties resulting from early improvement work on Siberian crabapple.”
— ^[11]

“Syn Wallace Whitney; Whitney #20.”
— ^[1]

“Still retains popularity.”
— ^[11]

“Short lived on prairies.”
— ^[1]

Direct parent cultivars

• No direct linked parent cultivars promoted yet.

Parentage claim text

• No direct breeding_cross claim text yet.

Derived or downstream cultivar links

• No derived or downstream lineage links yet.

Source-story quotations

• The Oldenburg apple and Whitney and various Siberian crabs have been used as stock for top-working, but the general experience is rather unfavorable; many sorts overgrowing the stock caused enlargement at union and liability to blow off.A Study of Northwestern Apples, p134
• The Oldenburg apple and Whitney and various Siberian crabs have been used as stock for top-working, but the general experience is rather unfavorable; many sorts overgrowing the stock caused enlargement at union and liability to blow off.A Study of Northwestern Apples, p134
• WHITNEY—Fruit very large, yellow striped with red; flesh yellow, very juicy and fine grained, flavor rich and almost sweet. August.Planting time, 1950 / Alpha Nursery, p7
• WHITNEY—Fruit very large, yellow striped with red; flesh yellow, very juicy and fine grained, flavor rich and almost sweet. August.Planting time, 1950 / Alpha Nursery, p7

Taxonomy context: No family-tree context surfaced yet.

Related cultivars mentioned in source context