Cultivar 479: Noran

Noran is a prairie apple listed as a standard apple and as a top rated hardy cultivar for the Prairie Provinces. Later recommendation lists emphasize its cooking use.[S1] Most prairie index entries describe it as a medium to fairly large late apple, about 6 cm across, green to greenish yellow with a red or brick red blush, and meant mainly for cooking or processing rather than dessert use.[S1][S2]

Its origin is uncertain. One older prairie bulletin describes Noran as a 1930 Experimental Station, Morden seedling of Antonovka.[S3] Later prairie index sources instead list it as a Beaverlodge Research Station introduction from 1975 and give its parentage as 'Columbia' x 'Regent', with one reading suggesting 'Redant' instead of 'Regent'.[S1][S2] A later historical overview places Noran in the 1970s "Nor" series of prairie introductions.[S1]

Sources describe the fruit as medium to large and round conic, or simply medium in later tables.[S2][S3] The older bulletin says it resembles Northern Spy in appearance, with greenish yellow skin washed and striped deep red, whitish flesh, and a crisp, fine grained, juicy texture that is somewhat tart and slightly acid.[S3] Later directory entries shorten this to green or greenish yellow skin with a light to brick red blush.[S1][S2]

The sources agree on use: Noran is mainly a cooking or processing apple.[S1][S2][S3] They also broadly agree that it is late. One source gives late September ripening, while the older bulletin gives a season of October to January. This suggests either harvest in late September to October with some keeping ability, or different observations from different sites.[S1][S2][S3]

The older prairie bulletin describes the tree as upright spreading, vigorous, productive, and hardier than most standard apple trees.[S3] Later prairie recommendation lists support that by placing Noran in the H1 class, the hardiest category, and among the top rated hardy apples and crabapples for prairie growing.[S1]

In prairie fruit history, Noran appears to belong to the stream of hardy apple breeding and selection that followed long cooperative testing across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.[S1] If the Beaverlodge attribution is correct, it connects the cultivar to northern Alberta selection work and the "Nor" naming series.[S1][S2] If the Morden account is correct, it ties Noran to an earlier Antonovka based hardiness line.[S3] The sources preserve a real prairie apple with strong hardiness credentials, but they do not agree on its exact origin.

Summary source basis

• S1: Edible Apples in Prairie Canada
• S2: An index of fruit cultivars tested or developed on the Canadian prairies.
• S3: TreeFruitsGrownInPrairieOrchards WRLeslie 1946 HQ

This summary currently draws chiefly from Edible Apples in Prairie Canada, with 2 additional supporting sources linked below.

Featured source descriptions

“Noran is grouped with five other cultivars in the “Nor” series.”
— ^[1]

“Noran is identified as one of the later introductions emerging from earlier hybridizing work.”
— ^[1]

“Ripens late September.”
— ^[1]

“Hardy.”
— ^[1]

Direct parent cultivars

• No direct linked parent cultivars promoted yet.

Parentage claim text

• Parentage appears to be Columbia x Redant.
• Listed as 'Columbia' x 'Regent'.
• Parentage is given as Columbia? x Redant.

Derived or downstream cultivar links

• No derived or downstream lineage links yet.

Source-story quotations

• Noran (Columbia? x Redant) Beaverlodge (1975) R. Ure Fruit 6cm, green with brick-red blush on sunny side. Cooking. Ripens late September.Edible Apples in Prairie Canada, p50
• Noran (Columbia? x Redant) Beaverlodge (1975) R. Ure Fruit 6cm, green with brick-red blush on sunny side. Cooking. Ripens late September.Edible Apples in Prairie Canada, p50
• Noran (Columbia? x Redant) Beaverlodge (1975) R. Ure Fruit 6cm, green with brick-red blush on sunny side. Cooking. Ripens late September.Edible Apples in Prairie Canada, p50
• Noran (Columbia? x Redant) Beaverlodge (1975) R. Ure Fruit 6cm, green with brick-red blush on sunny side. Cooking. Ripens late September.Edible Apples in Prairie Canada, p50

Taxonomy context: No family-tree context surfaced yet.

Related cultivars mentioned in source context