Cultivar 121: Haralson

Haralson is a late standard apple. It is usually described as medium to medium large, about 6 to 7.5 cm across. It was developed through the University of Minnesota and introduced in 1923 after earlier selection work in 1922.[S1] [S4] [S7] Older sources describe it as a seedling of Malinda or as Malinda x Ben Davis. A later cultivar sheet cites genetic evidence for Malinda x Wealthy instead.[S1] [S7] It is closely tied to Seth Kenney of Morristown, Minnesota, and became one of the best known northern keeping apples.[S1] [S7]

Sources describe the fruit as greenish yellow to brown red, often heavily covered with dull red stripes or splashes. The flesh is white, firm, juicy, and fine textured, but can be a little tough unless fully mature.[S1] [S7] [S12] In some years it russets badly. Older descriptions say the cut flesh browns slowly or not at all.[S1] [S7] The flavor is mild and subacid. It is fair to good for fresh eating when picked, but improves in storage. Sources repeatedly praise it as a cooking apple and as a much better dessert apple after winter storage.[S1] [S7] [S12]

Haralson ripens late, with prairie sources placing maturity in late September to October.[S4] [S12] It was classed as a winter apple and an excellent keeper. Older descriptions give storage into January to May, and later prairie notes give at least about 25 weeks to April.[S2] [S7] [S12] Prairie recommendation sources also state that the fruit should be stored for better flavor.[S1] In sensory work at Saskatchewan, Haralson ranked as respectable rather than elite, scoring 18.2 in 2002 fresh evaluations and 15.7 after long storage.[S16] [S17]

The tree is described as vigorous and upright to pyramidal or rounded, with wide angled crotches and annual productivity.[S7] [S12] It tends to overcrop, so thinning is advised to maintain fruit size.[S1] [S7] [S12] Prairie notes describe it as hardy to zone 2a and highly resistant to fire blight. They also warn that in many seasons it is too late to mature properly, so it is best grown in favorable sites or topworked onto a hardy framework tree such as Garnet, Bedford, or Nertchinsk.[S4] [S7] In prairie Canada it was recommended mainly for the more favorable zones, while South Dakota extension recommendations listed it across all three state fruit growing zones as a winter keeper.[S2] [S4]

Haralson also mattered far beyond its own fruit. University of Saskatchewan ancestry work identified it as one of the most important intermediate parents in that breeding program, contributing 23.7% of the ancestry of advanced selections.[S6] It later appears as a parent of cultivars and selections such as Norkent, PF10, and September Ruby. This helps explain its lasting place in prairie apple breeding.[S8] [S9] [S11] That later breeding role is separate from its own uncertain direct parentage, but it shows why Haralson remained a key part of cold climate apple history on the prairies.[S6] [S7]

Summary source basis

• S1: Edible Apples in Prairie Canada
• S2: South Dakota Fruit Garden
• S3: Nursery Plants Available from South Dakota Nurseries
• S4: Tree fruit production for the Prairie Provinces
• S5: An index of fruit cultivars tested or developed on the Canadian prairies.
• S6: ANCESTRY OF APPLE SELECTIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN
• S7: Haralson
• S8: Norkent

This summary currently draws chiefly from Haralson, with 13 additional supporting sources linked below.

Featured source descriptions

“Russet body noted in some years.”
— ^[1]

“Fruit is non-browning.”
— ^[1]

“H2 hardiness rating.”
— ^[1]

“Flesh is firm and tough.”
— ^[1]

Direct parent cultivars

• Rescue (relation=cross_parent)

Parentage claim text

• Parentage given as Malinda x Ben Davis.
• Lineage given as 'Malinda x Ben Davis?' with a note that recent genetic evidence suggests Haralson is a Malinda x Wealthy cross.
• Named as one parent of Norkent in the stated lineage Haralson x Rescue.
• Named as one parent of PF10 in the lineage Haralson x Rescue.
• Named as a parent of September Ruby in the cross Rescue x Haralson.

Derived or downstream cultivar links

• Westland (lineage link)
• Parkland (lineage link)
• Dolgo (lineage link)
• Duchess (lineage link)

Source-story quotations

• They show a test block of young Haralson apple trees grafted on common root stocks. More than half the trees were dead because the roots had failed to stand the severe temperatures last winter. Most of the remaining trees were weak. Right alongside were Haralson trees of the same age grown on northern root stocks. EverHardy fruits for Northern planting, trees, shrubs, 1937, p19
• They show a test block of young Haralson apple trees grafted on common root stocks. More than half the trees were dead because the roots had failed to stand the severe temperatures last winter. Most of the remaining trees were weak. Right alongside were Haralson trees of the same age grown on northern root stocks. EverHardy fruits for Northern planting, trees, shrubs, 1937, p19
• They show a test block of young Haralson apple trees grafted on common root stocks. More than half the trees were dead because the roots had failed to stand the severe temperatures last winter. Most of the remaining trees were weak. Right alongside were Haralson trees of the same age grown on northern root stocks. EverHardy fruits for Northern planting, trees, shrubs, 1937, p19
• We have used only the best varieties as Fireside, Minjon, Wealthy, Haralson, Dolgo, Daniels Red Duchess, McIntosh and Erickson.Daniels planting guide, 1950, p22

Taxonomy context: No family-tree context surfaced yet.

Related cultivars mentioned in source context