Unusual looking apples on a limb mutation

Native Hunter

5 year old buck +
I noticed these apples yesterday on one limb of a tree that has regular looking apples which ripen in July. Sometime after the normal apples fell, I saw some flowers on this one limb but didn't think anything about it. Then yesterday I noticed that the flowers had actually made these apples. They look very green, and I doubt that they could possibly ripen before frost. Just wondering if anyone else has ever seen anything like this

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I had some unusual apples on the tip of a limb of dolgo last year. They ripened on time though.

I would mark that limb and see if the changes persist next year.


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Would be interested in knowing how they develop. Odd shape. I'd Definitely mark that limb.
 
Could be a sport! Ditto, I would mark that one and watch it in following years. I think they are cool looking!
 
Thanks guys. Yes, I have already marked the limb. I will definitely be watching it next year and will check and see how they change by the end of the season this year. I recall seeing those extra flowers after the tree had already made fruit but didn't write down the date. I do recall that it was many weeks after any other apples had flowered. I guess this must indicate that pollen can persist for a long time too, because otherwise the late flowers would have never been pollinated.
 
Connel Red is a sport mutation of Fireside
 
For those that don't know the term "sport" - it's when a limb of a tree produces a different fruit than the rest of the tree does. Whatever the cause, sports can produce great apples that end up being market-worthy. b116757 above ^ ^ ^ mentioned a good one. There are other apple "sports" that have made the marketplace.
 
If you get that sport wood to graft and duplicate in time that would be really cool even if its just a deer or baking apple for now... could pull seed and give that a try too to see if any thing was passed along. Main bet is with grafting... Lucky you! Have fun with it..... a few years from now we will have another "oh you remember when this guy started this famous apple right here." conversation going on!
 
If you get that sport wood to graft and duplicate in time that would be really cool even if its just a deer or baking apple for now... could pull seed and give that a try too to see if any thing was passed along. Main bet is with grafting... Lucky you! Have fun with it..... a few years from now we will have another "oh you remember when this guy started this famous apple right here." conversation going on!

Even if they look green at the end of the growing season, I will still cut them open and look for seed. Of course I will also taste test. Who knows...maybe they are actually ripe but just apples with a green skin.

My wife has already named them "Pepper Apples," because she says they remind her of peppers.

Another update - today on the other side of the tree I found another limb with a single little green apple. The color is the same as the pepper shaped apples but the shape of this new one is more round, like a regular apple.

I do hope that something comes of these. It would at least be some fun for all of us on this forum.
 
My first instinct is just a late bloom. I've seen it on my trees, but none set fruit. But seing the unusual shape makes me really wonder. It will be interesting to see.
 
Time will tell. I know a local guy who has a tree that consistently grows siamese/conjoined apples, I going to try and get some scion off of him one of these winters
 
I almost forgot to check on these. Some were still hanging and some had fallen. No seed, and taste like a green apple. I have the limb marked and will watch next year.

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Does it taste green like not ripe or green like green varieties of apples?


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I almost forgot to check on these. Some were still hanging and some had fallen. No seed, and taste like a green apple. I have the limb marked and will watch next year.

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That’s strange. I didn’t think fruit could be produced without seed inside.


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I almost forgot to check on these. Some were still hanging and some had fallen. No seed, and taste like a green apple. I have the limb marked and will watch next year.

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That's a pretty apple. :)
 
That’s strange. I didn’t think fruit could be produced without seed inside.


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Everything about these apples are strange...:emoji_relaxed:
 
That's a pretty apple. :)

It somewhat resembles the normal apples on this tree, but the shape and size are different. Also, the stripes are not as prominent on the mutated apples. Maybe because they started later in the year they just didn't have time to fully develop. It's going to be fun to watch next year.
 
This is the normal Bevan's Favorite Apple. It ripens right at the end of June or first of July here. It's a great early apple.

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