Cultivar 62: Watopa

Watopa is a wild crabapple selection or crabapple hybrid linked to N. E. Hansen and recorded in 1939. Its reported parentage is an Elk River, Minnesota wild crab crossed with Jonathan pollen. This places it within Hansen's work to get larger, more useful fruit from hardy wild crab material. A later prairie apple reference repeats the cross in scan uncertain form and lists the fruit at 7.5 cm, which matches the earlier bulletin's 2 7/8 inch measurement. [S1] [S2]

Hansen's bulletin places Watopa among the wild crabapple selections under "Taming the American Wild Crabapple" and describes it as a sister to Wamdesa, introduced in 1938, but larger. This places it in a breeding line focused on hardy northern crabapple material with larger fruit, better cooking quality, and very long keeping ability. [S1]

In 1938, the fruit was described as regular, round, and somewhat truncated, greenish yellow with a thin washed and striped red over green, with noticeable green remaining at the base. The skin was described as unctuous, with a smooth abrupt basin and very small closed calyx segments. Hansen called it the largest of those new seedlings in 1938 at 2 7/8 inches across, and the later prairie reference gives about the same size at 7.5 cm. Cooked fruit was described as mildly acid to neutral. [S1] [S2]

Watopa is notable for keeping quality. Hansen described it as an "all-the-year keeper," an extreme storage claim that fits the bulletin's broader interest in crabapple derivatives that could keep for very long periods in ordinary storage. The same source also describes the tree as very productive. [S1]

The bulletin does not give a direct hardiness zone statement for Watopa, but it comes from a breeding and evaluation program aimed at the northern plains and other severe winter districts, and the parent wild crab material was valued for that purpose. Prairie Canada reference works also continued to list it later with a hardiness code, though that code is not expanded here. [S1] [S2]

Watopa shows Hansen's effort to domesticate hardy American wild crab material without losing its keeping quality. Its relationship to Wamdesa places it within that line of selections, while its Jonathan pollen parent shows deliberate use of standard apple blood to improve size and color. [S1] [S2]

Summary source basis

• S1: New Hardy Fruits for the Northwest
• S2: Edible Apples in Prairie Canada

This summary currently draws chiefly from New Hardy Fruits for the Northwest, with 1 additional supporting sources linked below.

Featured source descriptions

“Watopa is described as a sister to Wamdesa, introduced in 1938, but larger.”
— ^[1]

“Listed in the table of contents under "TAMING THE AMERICAN WILD CRABAPPLE" with entry page 18.”
— ^[1]

“Skin is unctuous; the basin is smooth and abrupt; calyx segments are very small and closed.”
— ^[1]

“Fruit is described as regular, round, and truncated.”
— ^[1]

Direct parent cultivars

• No direct linked parent cultivars promoted yet.

Parentage claim text

• Watopa is described as a wild crab x Jonathan apple pollen cross.
• Watopa is described as Elk River, Minnesota x Jonathan.
• Listed as foensis x Jonathan; the first parent is scan-uncertain.
• Asister to Wamdesa introduced in 1938, but larger, the fruits in 1938 being 2 Ys inches across
• Pedigree : Elk River, Minnesota, wild crab x Jonathan apple pollen
• Pedigree appears to be given as ioensis x Jonathan; the scan is unclear and OCR is uncertain.

Derived or downstream cultivar links

• No derived or downstream lineage links yet.

Source-story quotations

• Fruit regular, round, truncated, greenish yellow with much thinly washed and striped red over green and much green out over base ( stem end); skin unctuous; basin, smooth, abrupt calyx segments very small, closedNew Hardy Fruits for the Northwest, p19
• Asister to Wamdesa introduced in 1938, but larger, the fruits in 1938 being 2 Ys inches acrossNew Hardy Fruits for the Northwest, p19
• Watopa (foensis X Jonathan) Hansen (1939) STEdible Apples in Prairie Canada, p72
• Pedigree : Elk River, Minnesota, wild crab x Jonathan apple pollenNew Hardy Fruits for the Northwest, p19

Taxonomy context: No family-tree context surfaced yet.

Related cultivars mentioned in source context