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Court Pendu Plat apple

Court Pendu Plat
Court Pendu Plat is old apple variety from France, with a history dating back to the early 1600s and many earlier references. It was popular in Victorian times and still has a small following.

With such an ancient lineage it is perhaps no surprise that Court Pendu Plat is quite different from many other varieties. The most distinctive feature is the strange flattened appearance. The base is highly inverted and you can clearly see the flower stalk from which the apple formed. The colouring is light green flushed with orange and red.

The flesh is very dense, not soft but not crisp either. Cutting into it with a knife feels a bit like cutting into a hard cheddar cheese. There seems to be very little juice, and it is not really apple-flavoured at all. The flavour is fruity and strong when picked, and sweetens by Christmas. It is not actually very appealing when you first bite into it, yet is strangely "more-ish", with a flavour which is hard to define. It can also be used for cooking.

Although we have no proof, we think Court Pendu Plat could be somewhere in the ancestry of Cox's Orange Pippin. The size, flattened shape, colouration, and complex flavours of Cox are all there in Court Pendu Plat, albeit in a more primitive form. Cox's probable parent - Ribston Pippin - was apparently grown from a seedling brought to England from France in the early 1700s, a time when Court Pendu Plat was well-established on the Continent.

Also known as

  • Court Pendu Rouge

Court Pendu Plat apple identification images

All images copyright Orange Pippin unless otherwise stated.

  • Court Pendu Plat
  • Court Pendu Plat

USDA identification images for Court Pendu Plat

The identification paintings in the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection span the years 1886 to 1942.

    Citation: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705.

    Offspring of this variety


    Visitor reviews

    • 30 Aug 2024 
      Huge issue with this variety is it's late blooming, much later than all other varieties. Since it needs other tree for polination, it means it won't have apples in most years, unless you plant another late blooming variety.
    • 26 Oct 2015  NY, United States
      Dense, fragrant, wonderful flavor. Bought at a Greenmarket in New York City October 2015, in a one-week appearance. Wish I had bought more as all sources say they are wonderful keepers -- I will look for them again this time next year.
    • 13 Sep 2010  CAMBRIDGESHIRE, United Kingdom
      Although CPP is often quoted as being scab resistant, it is the fruit that has good resistance to scab, but the leaves are not resistant to scab. CPP also has "some resistance" to mildew and canker, but it is not immune. Late flowering can cause problems with pollination, but there are a handful of good-quality, organic-suitable, late-flowering varieties that are worth growing alongside CPP - such as Edward VII and Crawley Beauty. In my region, I find that MM106 rootstock often tends to bring varieties into flower slightly earlier (one pollination group earlier) than the other rootstocks, which could allow clever rootstock selection to slightly bring forward the flowering time of CPP. Additionally, if planting more than one tree, if the CPP is planted in the sunnier spot and the other tree in the shadier spot, you may also bring closer their *relative* flowering times by one pollination group as a result of the CPP warming up more quickly in the spring. The very-slow-growing nature of CPP leads me to suggest a somewhat stronger rootstock than you'd normally consider. In a collection of trees I'd suggest that CPP has a size larger rootstock (e.g. MM106 if planted with "average-vigour" M26 trees) to allow the CPP keep up with the growth rate of its companions.
    • 16 Jun 2010  WASHINGTON, United States
      This variety looks interesting: scab resistant; strong unusual flavor, long keeper, Heritage! Anyone in Canada or the States who have it care to say how it is performing for you? Late bloom can be a plus in Spokane. Last frost is often in early May, this year was 24th May 2010.
    • 08 Jun 2009  SOMERSET, United Kingdom
      We've grown this variety for a number of years. Ours are much more russeted than the one in your picture, and reddish golden brown when ripe, certainly not pale green! They are small, and very flatttened, and the late flowering means that pollination is a problem in many seasons. However they are delicious when ripe, which is rarely before Christmas. They are sweet, spicy and aromatic. The flesh is slightly dry like many russets.
    • 05 Feb 2009  NORTH YORKSHIRE, United Kingdom
      Hazel, There are very few varieties that can truly be said to be pre 17th century. Derek at Bernewode Plants has done a great deal of research into the early varieties and he is your best bet to source them. Those that come immediately to mind are Nonpareil and White Joaneting as well as CPP. 17th Century apples are a little more identifiable. The best original source is John Worlidge, who wrote in the late 1600's, particularly his Vinetum Britanicum (1678, 2nd Ed). He specifically names Margaret (available from Brogdale), Devonshire Quarendon (Keepers Nursery, et al), Genet Moyle and Catshead - all of which can be sourced quite easily. The great Ribston Pippin was also planted in 1688 (Rogers of Pickering). Any or all would do very well in Bristol. It is also claimed that the greatest 17th Century apple, the Redstreak, has also been rediscovered (Brogdale, Matthews) although it remains to be seen if this can really be said to be the apple of our ancestors.
    • 26 Dec 2008  BRISTOL UK, United Kingdom
      I want to buy a pre 17th c variety of apple if I can for my garden in Bristol... have you any advice on / pictures of the tree growing I can see.. where did you get yours ?? thanks hazel.
    • 02 Nov 2008  PLOX GREEN, SHROPSHIRE, United Kingdom
      I have had an excellent crop of these apples this year, and have just started to pick them (02/11/08, after first frost). Mine are flatter and matter, like Jim's of Wakefield. The longer I have left them on the tree, the more yellow some have become - it has not been the sunniest Summer or Autumn. I was delighted to read that they are going to continue to improve in eating between now and the Spring as I found them rather hard on picking.
    • 01 Oct 2008  WAKEFIELD, United Kingdom
      The photograph you have does not look much like the fruit I get from the tree I grow as Court Pendu Platt. My fruit are flatter, and the green base colour is more matt with deeper matt red colouring. CPP flowers very very late, often when no other apples are flowering, so pollination can be a problem.
    • 08 Feb 2008  BRISTOL, United Kingdom
      Peter Wellbery Smith grows this just south of the Wash near King's Lynn. He says March is the best month for eating. The ones i have in front of me from him (8/02/08) are already good. Discreet but deep in flavour, spiced and hard and utterly toothsome.

    Tree register

    United States

    United Kingdom

    Netherlands

    Canada

    Australia

    Switzerland

    Spring blossom records for this variety

    2018 season

    • 15th May  2018  - tree owned by Bill in Smeeton Westerby, United Kingdom

    2017 season

    • 16th May  2017  - tree owned by Bill in Smeeton Westerby, United Kingdom

    2016 season

    • 3rd June  2016  - tree owned by Bill in Smeeton Westerby, United Kingdom

    2015 season

    • 28th May  2015  - tree owned by Bill in Smeeton Westerby, United Kingdom

    2014 season

    • 23rd May  2014  - tree owned by Bill in Smeeton Westerby, United Kingdom

    2013 season

    • 4th June  2013  - tree owned by Bill in Smeeton Westerby, United Kingdom

    2012 season

    • 4th June  2012  - tree owned by Jean in Martock, United Kingdom
    • 26th May  2012  - tree owned by Lenore in Beverley, United Kingdom

    2009 season

    • 11th May  2009  - tree owned by N. in Cambridge, United Kingdom
    • 11th May  2009  - tree owned by N. in Cambridge, United Kingdom

    Record your blossom dates in our Fruit Tree Register - more >>.


    Harvest records for this variety

    2017 season

    • 1st week October  2017  - tree owned by Bill in Smeeton Westerby, United Kingdom

    2016 season

    • 3rd week October  2016  - tree owned by Bill in Smeeton Westerby, United Kingdom

    2015 season

    • 4th week October  2015  - tree owned by Bill in Smeeton Westerby, United Kingdom

    2014 season

    • 1st week October  2014  - tree owned by Bill in Smeeton Westerby, United Kingdom

    2013 season

    • 3rd week October  2013  - tree owned by Bill in Smeeton Westerby, United Kingdom

    2012 season

    • 4th week October  2012  - tree owned by Jean in Martock, United Kingdom

    2009 season

    • October  2009  - tree owned by N. in Cambridge, United Kingdom
    • October  2009  - tree owned by N. in Cambridge, United Kingdom

    Origins

    • Species: Malus domestica - Apple
    • Parentage: Unknown, extremely old
    • Originates from: France
    • Introduced: 1613
    • UK National Fruit Collection accession: 1948-328

    Identification

    • Country of origin: France
    • Period of origin: 1600 - 1649
    • Fruit colour: Orange flush
    • Leaf colour: Green
    • Popularity: Rarely grown
    • Annual cycle: Deciduous

    Using

    • Picking season: Late
    • Keeping (of fruit): 1-2 months
    • Flavour quality: Very good
    • Flavour style (apples): Aromatic
    • Discoloration of fruit: Very oxidising (browns quickly)
    • Cropping: Good
    • Fruit persistence: Normal ripening
    • Food uses: Eating fresh
    • Food uses: Juice
    • Picking period: mid-October
    • Wildlife: RHS Plants for Pollinators

    Growing

    • Gardening skill: Average
    • Flowering group: 6
    • Pollinating others: Average
    • Ploidy: Diploid
    • Vigour: Average vigour
    • Bearing regularity: Regular
    • Fruit bearing: Partial tip-bearer
    • Attractive features: Attractive flowers
    • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    Climate

    • Frost resistance of blossom: Good resistance
    • Cold hardiness (USDA): Zone 4 (-34C)
    • Climate suitability: Temperate climates
    • Summer average maximum temperatures: Cool ( 20-24C / 68-75F)
    • Summer average maximum temperatures: Warm (25-30C / 76-85F)

    Other qualities

    • Disease resistance: Good
    • Scab (Apple and Pear): Very resistant
    • Powdery mildew: Very resistant

    Where to buy trees

    The following tree nurseries offer Court Pendu Plat apple trees for sale:


    Where to buy fresh fruit

    The following orchards grow Court Pendu Plat:

    United States


    United Kingdom


    Canada


    Australia




    References


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