The Arkansas Black is an apple

Apple

The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...

 cultivar

Cultivar

A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...

, thought to have been developed in the mid-19th Century in Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...

.

Arkansas Black apples are generally medium sized with a somewhat flattened shape. Generally a very dark red on the tree, occasionally with a slight green blush where hidden from the sun, the apples grow darker as they ripen, becoming a very dark red or burgundy color. With storage the skin continues to darken; Arkansas Black is one of the darkest of all apple cultivars, hence the name. The flesh in good years is notably hard and crunchy when fresh, though it does soften somewhat with keeping. Fairly tart when fresh-picked, the apples mellow with storage. Arkansas Blacks are considered an excellent keeping apple, keeping for six months in good storage conditions. Though the cultivar is grown throughout the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, it is said that the best apples come from western Arkansas where the cultivar originated. Popular as a fresh picked apple at roadside stands and produce markets, the apple has begun to enter commercial distribution and so is now becoming more widely available.

External links

• http://www.orangepippin.com/apples/arkansas-black.aspx
• http://www.applejournal.com/var001.htm
• http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=2100