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Suntan apple

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Suntan
Medium-large fruit, gold-yellow flushed and striped orange-red. Flesh yellowish-cream. Firm and fairly juicy. Flesh rather coarsely textured, crisp.

Suntan apple identification images

All images copyright Orange Pippin unless otherwise stated.

  • Suntan
  • Suntan
  • Suntan

USDA identification images for Suntan

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.

    Parents and other ancestors of this variety


    Sports of this variety

    Sports are natural genetic mutations of the original variety.


    Visitor reviews

    • 05 Nov 2022 
      My favourite apple for flavour. Unfortunately it's an unreliable cropper as it is a triploid and flowers late when many other varieties have finished. Has a sharp sweet taste and stores really well.
    • 09 Oct 2022 
      Has a nice tang.
    • 28 Nov 2014  SOMERSET, United Kingdom
      I have about 17 varieties of apple tree in my orchard and the flavour of Suntan is easily the best of them all. It is quite sharp and very sweet. I agree that, like its parent Cox, it is prone to cancer and other fruit diseases in this region, nevertheless I usually have a large healthy crop from each tree. The slightly yellowy apples have a nicer taste than the red blushed ones to my mind.
    • 15 Jul 2011  CAMBRIDGESHIRE, United Kingdom
      The tree is slightly prone to canker and alos quite prone to powdery mildew. Early in the season the fairly large fruits suffer considerable damage from codling and sawfly maggots, although the pest attacks switch to other, more colourful, early-ripening varieties after a few weeks, so the whole crop is not generally lost. The mildew-prone tendency makes it unsuitable for dry regions, while the canker-prone tendency makes it unsuitable for wet regions. Not recommended unless it will be sprayed. I removed my (MM106/Suntan) tree and replaced it with a less troublesome variety.

    Tree register

    United States

    United Kingdom

    France

    Ireland

    Italy

    • Jan Huston in Castel D'Aiano, PROVINCIA DI BOLOGNA

    Canada

    • Clive Rose in SALT SPRING ISLAND, BRITISH COLUMBIA

    Australia

    • Hayden in Winslow, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA

    Spring blossom records for this variety

    2023 season

    • 16th May  2023  - tree owned by Stuart in Bury St Edmunds, United Kingdom

    2022 season

    • 15th May  2022  - tree owned by Stuart in Bury St Edmunds, United Kingdom

    2020 season

    • 28th April  2020  - tree owned by Jerry in Point Reyes Station, United States

    2019 season

    • 4th May  2019  - tree owned by Jerry in Point Reyes Station, United States

    2018 season

    • 7th May  2018  - tree owned by Jerry in Point Reyes Station, United States

    2015 season

    • 11th May  2015  - tree owned by Michael in Glen Rock, United States

    2010 season

    • 8th May  2010  - tree owned by N. in Cambridge, United Kingdom

    2009 season

    • 3rd 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

    2019 season

    • 1st week October  2019  - tree owned by Jerry in Point Reyes Station, United States

    2012 season

    • 4th week September  2012  - tree owned by Andrew in Eastleigh, United Kingdom

    2011 season

    • August  2011  - tree owned by Jan in Castel D'Aiano, Italy

    2009 season

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

    Origins

    • Species: Malus domestica - Apple
    • Parentage: Cox's Orange Pippin x Court Pendu Plat
    • Originates from: England, United Kingdom
    • Introduced: 1955
    • Developed by: East Malling Research
    • UK National Fruit Collection accession: 1980-084

    Identification

    • Country of origin: United Kingdom
    • Period of origin: 1950 - 1999
    • Fruit colour: Orange flush
    • Flower colour: White
    • Annual cycle: Deciduous
    • Flesh colour: Cream
    • Fruit size: Large
    • Awards: RHS AGM (former)

    Using

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

    Growing

    • Gardening skill: Average
    • Flowering group: 5
    • Pollinating others: Poor
    • Ploidy: Triploid
    • Vigour: Very vigorous
    • Bearing regularity: Regular
    • Growth habit: Spreading / Flat-topped
    • Fruit bearing: Spur-bearer
    • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
    • Sunlight: Prefers full sun

    Climate

    • Cold hardiness (USDA): Zone 5 (-29C)
    • Climate suitability: Temperate climates
    • Climate suitability: Mild damp climates
    • Cold-hardiness: Cold-hardy
    • 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
    • Canker: Some susceptibility

    Where to buy trees

    The following tree nurseries offer Suntan apple trees for sale:


    Where to buy fresh fruit

    The following orchards grow Suntan:

    United States


    United Kingdom


    Canada




    References

    • Fruit Expert
      Author: Hessayon

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