The World of Apples

Apple varieties, United States

Rome Beauty

An Ohio apple that blooms late and keeps until spring; in 2020–24, 94 per cent of the US crop went to processing

History

Beach recorded that Rome Beauty originated with H. N. Gillett in Lawrence County, Ohio, and was brought before the Ohio fruit growers’ convention as a new variety in 18481,3. Warder, who called Gillett “that sterling pioneer pomologist”, credited him too, and counted Rome Beauty almost the only notable apple to come from the seed of the first orchards of Washington County, Ohio2.

The Briggs Lawrence County Public Library gives the credit instead to Joel Gillette, who moved from Marietta to the Proctorville area in the spring of 1817 with seeds and seedlings4. A seedling that had nearly dried out was planted near the river by his thirteen-year-old son, Lanson, and eight years later it bore a new red apple, known as Gillette’s seedling4. George Walton is credited with naming it in the late 1820s, after Rome Township and the apple’s looks; the original tree was washed away by a flood in 18564.

By 1905 it was a profitable market apple in southern Ohio and other southern districts, though still little known in New York1. It was seventh among American apples in 1909–13, and in 1928 American commercial orchards held 4,180,000 trees, 5.2 per cent of the total5. In 2024/25 Rome made up 3 per cent of US production; New York was expected to grow 3,169,174 of the 7,382,326 bushels forecast for 2025/266.

By 1941 two redder strains were rather widely planted, Gallia Beauty, possibly a seedling, and the bud sport Cox Red Rome, both brighter and more evenly coloured than the original; the darker Black Rome was grown to some extent in the Pacific Northwest5. The National Fruit Collection lists further sports, among them Red Rome and Double Red Rome Beauty3.

The fruit

The fruit is medium to very large, roundish to roundish-conic, and hangs on a characteristically long, slender stem1. The thick, tough, smooth skin is yellow or greenish, mottled and striped with bright red, nearly solid red on the sunny side1. The flesh is nearly white, firm, rather crisp and juicy, slightly aromatic and mildly subacid; Beach judged it “commonly good but not high in quality”1. Warder rated it scarcely good, though valuable for market2. It kept in cold storage until May or later, and well-coloured fruit did not scald1. The fruit does not mature well in Britain; at Brogdale, Kent, the tree begins to flower around 13 May and the fruit is picked in mid-October3.

Growing

Its blossoms open late, so that it often escapes late frosts2,5. It comes into bearing much earlier than Baldwin and crops more nearly every year, but is apt to overbear; the fruit hangs on well even in high winds1. It does better on bottom lands and fertile sandy or gravelly loams than on heavy clay1. Magness rated the tree spreading, of medium vigour and medium to small size, very susceptible to scab and cedar rust and susceptible to fire blight; it is a diploid, a good pollinator and slightly self-fruitful5.

Uses

Magness rated it fair for dessert and good for cooking5. The University of Maryland finds it particularly good for processing or baking, but notes that its flesh can bleed colour and turn applesauce pink7. On average in 2020–2024, 94 per cent of the US crop was processed6.

Where the sources disagree

  • Who raised it. Beach, Warder and the National Fruit Collection name H. N. Gillett1,2,3; the library makes him Joel Gillette’s cousin, who showed the apple to the Ohio State Horticultural Society at Columbus in 18454.
  • When. Beach and the National Fruit Collection date its coming to notice to 18481,3; the library has it fruiting about eight years after the family’s move in 1817 and named in the late 1820s4.

Family tree

Offspring in the atlas

10 varieties in the atlas descend from Rome Beauty.

Rome Beauty
Where Rome Beauty came from.

Sources

  1. The Apples of New York, vol. I, pp. 290–292: Rome, S. A. Beach, New York Agricultural Experiment Station, Internet Archive, 1905. Supports: the synonyms, among them Rome Beauty, Gillett's Seedling, Roman Beauty, Belle de Rome and Faust's Rome Beauty (p. 290); held in cold storage "till May or later" and, if well coloured, not subject to scald; not quite so good as Baldwin for dessert or kitchen, but bearing much earlier and more nearly annual; suited to bottom lands and fertile sandy or gravelly loams rather than heavy clay; apt to overbear; the long stem holding the fruit even in high winds; "Originated by H. N. Gillett in Lawrence county, Ohio"; brought to the Ohio Convention of fruit growers in 1848 as a new variety; profitable in that section and in other southern districts but little known in New York (p. 291); fruit medium to very large, roundish to roundish conic, with a long, slender stem; skin thick, tough, smooth, yellow or greenish mottled with bright red, almost solid red on the exposed cheek, striped with carmine; flesh nearly white, firm, rather crisp, juicy, slightly aromatic, mild subacid, "commonly good but not high in quality" (p. 292).
  2. American Pomology: Apples, pp. 454, 458–459: Rome Beauty, J. A. Warder, Orange Judd, Internet Archive, 1867. Supports: Rome Beauty "almost the only one of great notoriety" traceable to the seeds of the first orchards of Washington County, Ohio, from the Putnam list (p. 454); "originated in Southern Ohio, by that sterling pioneer pomologist, H. N. Gillett"; very productive; blossoms opening late, so that it often escapes a late frost (p. 458); quality "scarcely good" but valuable for market for its productiveness, size, beauty and certain bearing (p. 459).
  3. Rome Beauty (accession 1943-007), National Fruit Collection, Brogdale, Kent (Defra). Supports: "Originated with H.N. Gillett in Lawrence County, Ohio, USA. Brought to notice in 1848"; synonyms including Belle de Rome, Gillett's Seedling, Roman Beauty and Rome; "Fruits do not mature well in the UK"; sports including Red Rome, Barkley Red Rome and Double Red Rome Beauty; 10% flowering on 13 May and picking in mid October at the collection.
  4. Rome Beauty Apple, Briggs Lawrence County Public Library, Ohio. Supports: Joel Gillette's move from Marietta to the Proctorville area in the spring of 1817, bringing seeds and seedlings; the nearly dried-out seedling planted near the river by his thirteen-year-old son Lanson, which bore a new red apple eight years later, known as Gillette's seedling; the name Rome Beauty, after Rome Township and its appearance, credited to George Walton in the late 1820s; Captain H. N. Gillette, Joel's cousin, showing the apple at the Ohio State Horticultural Society's meeting in Columbus in 1845; the original tree washed away in a flood in 1856.
  5. Apple Varieties and Important Producing Sections of the United States (Farmers' Bulletin 1883), pp. 21–31, J. R. Magness, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Internet Archive, 1941. Supports: 4,180,000 trees in 1928, 5.2 per cent of the total (Table 1, p. 21); seventh of the ten leading US varieties in 1909–13 (p. 22); spreading tree of medium vigour and medium to small size, first bearing at 4 to 6 years, annual (Table 2, p. 23); very susceptible to scab and cedar rust, susceptible to fire blight (Table 3, p. 25; p. 24); diploid, good pollinator, slightly self-fruitful, late blooming (Table 4, p. 26); dessert quality fair, cooking quality good (Table 5, pp. 28–29); the red strains Gallia Beauty, possibly of seedling origin, and Cox Red Rome, a bud sport, brighter and more uniformly coloured, both rather widely planted, and the darker Black Rome, propagated to some extent in the Pacific Northwest (p. 31).
  6. Industry Outlook 2025, Christopher Gerlach, U.S. Apple Association, 2025. Supports: Table 6: Rome 7,242,542 bushels, 3 per cent of US production in 2024/25; Table 7: New York 3,169,174 of the 7,382,326 bushels forecast for 2025/26; Table 9: Rome 6 per cent fresh and 94 per cent processing, 2020–2024 average.
  7. Important Apple Cultivars in the Mid-Atlantic Region (EB-2023-0684), Md Shipon Miah and Macarena Farcuh, University of Maryland Extension, 2023-12. Supports: Rome Beauty "particularly good for processing or baking"; prone to excessive flesh bleeding, which gives a pink applesauce.

All 235 varieties from United States