VARIETIES OF APPLES (THE FRUIT—not the computer)

• apple trees originated in Central Asia and were introduced to North America by European colonists. 
• they are grown in over 90 countries (including New Zealand, Iran, So. Africa, etc.)
• largest producers are USA, China, Europe (e.g., Poland, France), Turkey, India, Russia, and South Africa.
• apple trees blossom in early spring; fruit matures in summer in late June to early July.
• Apples need a temperate climate with a chilling period but not below 12 degrees C. They thrive in full-sun conditions. They can be grown in “tropical” areas, but only at high altitude.

Classification of Apples:

    Order Rosales

    Family Rosaceae = the rose family

    Genus Malus

        Type Species M. domesticus [=“the Anna Apple”]--see Figures 1 and 2, herein.

                              

VARIETIES OF APPLES  [32 are listed here, but there are undoubtedly more]: 

Ambrosia: mild acidity

Anna (see Figures 1 and 2, herein)

Arkansas Black

Black Diamond

Black Limbetwig

Braeburn

Cortland

Crispin

Empire

Fugi

Gala

Ginger Gold

Golden Delicious

Golden Russet

Granny Smith: very tart taste but this apple is the lowest in sugar content.

Honey Crisp: sweet and tart balance but high in sugar content.

Jazz: New Zealand

Kidd’s Orange Red: New Zealand

King of Tomkins: A New York apple

McIntosh

Opal

Pink Lady: sweet and tart balance. 

Pippin: also known as the Newtown Pippen or the Albermarle Pippen. 

Mammoth Black Twig: closely related to the Arkansas Black.

Northern Spy

Rawls Jennet

Red Delicious = “healthiest” in terms of antioxidants.

Royal Gala: native to New Zealand

Rome

Sekai-Ichi (Japan): most expensive, up to $20 each! Grown at high altitude.

Spartan

Virginia Beauty

NOTES:

1. Several locales claim to be the “Apple Capital” of the World (e.g., Wenatchee, Washington; Adams County, Pennsylvania; and Winchester, Virginia). I am sure that other countries would tend to have different opinions on this subject. 

2. Do not eat the seeds of any apple because they contain cyanide, which is harmful if chewed in sufficient quantity.

3. Apples are prone to being cultivares (i.e., influenced by breeding techniques that are  implemented by humans).

3. Crabapples, which represent a type of apple, are ancestors of modern cultivated apples. Crabapple fruit is small (generally speaking, less than 2 inches diameter), hard, tart, and usually cooked and used in jellies and ciders, rather than eaten raw.  Online, I was able to find the names and images of at least 37 varieties of crabapples (e.g., Golden Hornet, Centinnial, Red Frosted, Callaway, Himalaya, etc.) but decided not to list them here. 

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Figure 1. Anna’s Apple tree with some ripening apples (in red). This tree is about as tall as a 1-story house.

Figure 2. Blossoms from the same apple tree shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3. An apple-seed sprout from a Pink Lady apple. The black-and-grayish scale (on the right side of this image) is in centimeters.