The World of Apples

Apple varieties, United States

Jonathan

Named by Judge Buel after Jonathan Hasbrouck; in a 2020 DNA study only Cox's Orange Pippin had more inferred offspring

History

Judge J. Buel first described the apple in 1826, as Esopus Spitzenberg (New) or Ulster Seedling, in a catalogue for the New York Horticultural Society1,4, and in 1829 he sent fruit to the Massachusetts Horticultural Society as “An Esopus Seedling and sometimes called the New Spitzenberg”1. It came from the farm of Philip Rick at Woodstock, Ulster County, New York, where, according to Downing, the original tree was still alive in 18451,4. The name that prevailed was Buel’s, after Jonathan Hasbrouck, who had first shown him the apple1,4.

Beach placed it in the class of Esopus Spitzenburg and judged it hardier, more productive and more vigorous than that parent, though smaller and a poorer keeper1. SNP data published in 2020 confirm the two as parent and offspring5.

It did best not in New York but in the valleys of the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri and in the irrigated West, where in places it ranked next to Ben Davis in commercial importance1. It was sixth among American apples in 1909–13 and third by number of trees in 1928, with 6,334,000 trees, 7.8 per cent of the total6. In 1941 it led over most of the south-western apple region, from Missouri and Arkansas to Kansas and southern Nebraska6. In 2024/25 the US crop was 599,971 bushels, under 1 per cent of production7.

In a DNA study of more than 1,400 cultivars Jonathan was the inferred parent in 24 complete trios, second only to Cox’s Orange Pippin; the study confirms it as a parent of Idared and of the triploid Jonagold5. Its sports include the brighter Jonared and the darker Blackjon4,6.

The fruit

The fruit is medium-sized to rather small, roundish-conic and fairly uniform1. The thin, tough, smooth skin is pale yellow, almost covered with lively red and striped with carmine, deepening to purplish red in the sun1. The flesh is whitish or yellowish, sometimes tinged red, firm, crisp, tender, juicy, very aromatic and sprightly subacid; Beach rated it very good to best1, and Warder recorded that it was called “a gentleman’s apple”3. Hogg thought it a very fine dessert apple; fruit he had from Mr Rivers of Sawbridgeworth kept in tissue paper until the end of June2.

In ordinary storage dark spots tended to appear in the skin after January, but in cold storage it kept until January to March or later1. At Brogdale, Kent, it begins to flower around 7 May and is picked in early October4.

Growing

In New York the tree grew only moderately and was best top-worked on a stronger stock such as Northern Spy, Baldwin or Rhode Island Greening; it bore young1. Magness found it resistant to scab but very susceptible to fire blight and cedar rust, and liable to spray injury; it is a diploid, a good pollinator and slightly self-fruitful6.

Uses

Beach thought it excellent for dessert and the kitchen alike1. On average in 2020–2024, 66 per cent of the US crop was processed7.

Where the sources disagree

  • Birthplace. Beach, citing Hovey (1850), and the National Fruit Collection place Philip Rick’s farm at Woodstock, Ulster County1,4; Hogg and Warder give Kingston, New York2,3.
  • Bearing. Beach found it cropping well every other year, or in some cases almost every year1; Magness classed it as an annual bearer, first cropping at four to six years6.

Family tree

Parents, grandparents and great-grandparents, as the entries in the atlas record them.

Offspring in the atlas

94 varieties in the atlas descend from Jonathan.

Jonathan
Where Jonathan came from.

Sources

  1. The Apples of New York, vol. I, pp. 172–174: Jonathan, S. A. Beach, New York Agricultural Experiment Station, Internet Archive, 1905. Supports: the synonyms (p. 172); "of the Esopus Spitzenburg class", excelling "its parent" in hardiness, productiveness, health and vigour but smaller and a poorer keeper; best in the valleys of the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri and the irrigated West, where in places it "ranks next to Ben Davis in commercial importance"; dark spots in ordinary storage after January; cold-storage limit January to March or later (pp. 172–173); a moderate grower, best top-worked on Northern Spy, Baldwin or Rhode Island Greening; bearing young, biennially or almost annually; excellent for dessert or culinary use; Buel's catalogue of 1826 listing it as Esopus Spitzenberg (New), synonym Ulster Seedling; Buel's statement of 1829 to the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, "An Esopus Seedling and sometimes called the New Spitzenberg"; the farm of Philip Rick of Woodstock, Ulster county (citing Hovey, 1850); the original tree alive in 1845 according to Downing; the name given by Buel after Jonathan Hasbrouck (p. 173); the description of the fruit, "very good to best" (p. 174).
  2. The Fruit Manual, 5th ed., p. 119: Jonathan, Robert Hogg, Journal of Horticulture Office, Internet Archive, 1884. Supports: "A very fine dessert apple"; brought to Hogg's notice by Mr Rivers of Sawbridgeworth, whose fruit, wrapped in tissue paper, kept well till the end of June; originated on the farm of Philip Rick, of Kingston, New York.
  3. American Pomology: Apples, pp. 679–680: Jonathan, J. A. Warder, Orange Judd, Internet Archive, 1867. Supports: "Origin, Kingston, New York"; described by Judge Buel; "a gentleman's apple".
  4. Jonathan (accession 1979-164), National Fruit Collection, Brogdale, Kent (Defra). Supports: originated on the farm of Philip Rick, Woodstock, Ulster County, New York; first described in 1826 by Judge Buel, who named it after Jonathan Hasbrouck; synonyms including King Philip, Philip Rick and Ulster Seedling; parentage "Esopus Spitzenburg x Unknown"; offspring including Idared and Jonagold; sports including Jonared and Blackjon; 10% flowering on 7 May and picking in early October at the collection.
  5. Using whole-genome SNP data to reconstruct a large multi-generation pedigree in apple germplasm, Hélène Muranty and others, BMC Plant Biology 20:2, with Additional files 1, 3 and 6, 2020. Supports: Jonathan and Esopus Spitzenburg a parent–offspring duo with no Mendelian errors, in agreement with the documented parentage (Additional file 6, Table S5); Jonathan inferred as a parent in 24 trios, second only to Cox's Orange Pippin (45); Idared confirmed as Jonathan × Wagener (Table S3) and the triploid Jonagold as Golden Delicious × Jonathan; Jonathan diploid (Table S1).
  6. Apple Varieties and Important Producing Sections of the United States (Farmers' Bulletin 1883), pp. 11–31, J. R. Magness, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Internet Archive, 1941. Supports: Jonathan "the leading variety throughout most of" the south-western section (Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and southern Nebraska) (pp. 11, 13); third in 1928 with 6,334,000 trees, 7.8 per cent (p. 20; Table 1, p. 21); sixth of the ten leading US varieties in 1909–13 (p. 22); first bearing at 4 to 6 years, annual (Table 2, p. 23); resistant to scab, very susceptible to fire blight and cedar rust, susceptible to spray injury (Table 3, p. 25); diploid, good pollinator, slightly self-fruitful (Table 4, p. 26); the strains Jonared, brighter, and Blackjon, darker (p. 31).
  7. Industry Outlook 2025, Christopher Gerlach, U.S. Apple Association, 2025. Supports: Table 6: Jonathan 599,971 bushels in 2024/25, under 1 per cent of US production; Table 9: 34 per cent fresh and 66 per cent processing, 2020–2024 average.

All 235 varieties from United States