Cortland (apple)


Cortland is a cultivar of apple, that was raised at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York, United States in 1898. The apple was named after nearby Cortland County, New York. It is among the fifteen most popular in the United States.

Breeding

After the many attributes of McIntosh were discovered, plant breeders began crossing it with other varieties to enhance its traits. One of the earliest was the 'Cortland'. Its flavor is sweet compared to McIntosh, and it has a flush of crimson against a pale yellow background sprinkled with short, dark red stripes and gray-green dots. It was first bred by American horoculturalist S.A Beach.
Has a very white flesh and makes a great dessert apple.

Patented mutants (sports)

The original Cortland variety, introduced in 1915 by the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, produced apples which were 20–30% red, and was not patented. Since then, several sports have been identified and patented:
Date"Inventor"Marketed asMutated fromAssigneeHabitPatternEarlierColorPlant patent number
Jan 19, 1982LaMontLamont, StarkspurstandardStark Bro's Nurseryspurstripedsamesame
Aug 30, 1983NicklinRedcortstandardHilltop Nurserystandardstriped2 wk.90% red
Oct 7, 1997HartenhofNS-911standardAdams County Nurserystandardstripedsamered overall

Descendant cultivars