Annurca Apple

Annurca is probably the world's oldest known apple variety.
The Annurca apple is believed to be a Roman variety from southern Italy, mentioned by Pliny the Elder in his Naturalis Historia (before the year 79) under the name Mala Orcula. The name Annurca was given to the variety in the Arboriculture Handbook by botanist Giuseppe Antonio Pasquale (1876).

Until the Second World War, the variety was widely grown in southern Italy, but has since been outcompeted by varieties that are easier to grow. However, the variety is still grown due to the taste qualities.

Apples are small, juicy sweet with a little acid. It retains apple flavor and aroma for a long time.

Annurca apples should contain extra high levels of vitamins A and C as well as a special type of malic acid that gives it a distinctive flavor.

The variety is picked late and ripening takes place after picking. The apple can keep its quality for a very long time.

I received grafts from Brogdale in England in the spring of 1917.