Apple Tree Bramley's Seedling - Malus domestica

The Bramley's Seedling Apple Tree is an extremely popular cooking apple variety as its fruits perfectly complement dishes. The vigorous tree produces large yellow apples striped with red, with firm and crunchy flesh that holds up well when cooked. Mildly aromatic and acidic, they also make good apple sauce and are suitable for making pies. Highly hardy and resistant to diseases, the tree bears fruit from a young age and its fruits store well through the winter. It is best planted near another pollinating tree, as it is only partially self-fertile.

The Apple Tree is one of many fruit trees that belong to the extensive Rosaceae family, which also includes wild plants from the countryside and forests, as well as numerous ornamental plants, herbaceous ones like the charming Acaena, or woody ones (Cotoneaster, Pyracantha...). The Malus genus includes fruit species, like the Common Apple Tree or Malus domestica (synonyms Malus communis or Malus pumila), and ornamental ones, the beautiful "Flowering Crabapples". Cultivated since ancient times (the Romans already knew 29 different varieties), the Apple Tree is a fruit tree native to the forests of Central Asia and nowadays exists in around 20,000 varieties.
Bramley's Seedling is an old English variety, significant for the cooking apple market. It is triploid (meaning each cell has three sets of chromosomes, instead of two), which explains both the tree's vigour and the size of the fruits. This apple tree can reach heights of 5 m to 7 m, forming a fairly imposing crown. The flowering period is relatively late, often from late April to mid-May, reducing the risk of frost. Partially self-fertile, it is advisable to plant this variety next to another tree that will act as a pollinator, such as 'Transparente de Croncels', 'Reine des Reinettes', 'Reinette de Hollande', 'Beauty of Bath', 'Dantziger Kantapfel', 'Glory of Holland', 'Gloster', 'Lunterse Pippeling', 'Transparent Jaune', and others. Once pollinated, the pretty single, pinkish-white flowers will develop into large fruits of 80 mm in diameter or more, slightly bumpy on the surface, with a yellowish-green skin streaked with red over a quarter of the surface or more. Ripening is late, and harvesting can begin from October. The flesh is firm and crunchy, quite tender, but acidic and mildly aromatic. Therefore, it is normally not consumed fresh but cooked, revealing all its qualities. It is a remarkable variety for its cooking properties, used to accompany cabbage, fish, chicken, or pork. It is also good for making pies, other desserts, or applesauce. The fruit stores remarkably well, lasting from 3 to 5 months under good conditions.

The Bramley's Seedling Apple Tree is a true institution in England, highly hardy and resistant to diseases. You can plant it in your orchard alongside other old varieties of Pear Trees, Plum Trees, or a Common Medlar Tree (Mespilus germanica), another very original old fruit tree with fruits consumed after the first frosts.

The history of this variety begins like a novel when, in the early 19th century, young Mary Ann Brailsford planted a few seeds in a pot, taken from an apple bought by her mother. One of the seeds germinated, and the girl grew it to repot and eventually plant the small tree in the family garden. In 1846, the family sold the house, along with the garden and thus the apple tree, to Matthew Bramley, a professional butcher. As the tree was appreciated for its fruits, cuttings were taken, and Mr. Bramley gave his permission for the tree to be commercialised under the condition that it be named in his honour...