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Geneva Tremlett's Bitter cider apple tree

Malus domestica 'Geneva Tremlett's Bitter'

Geneva Tremlett's
Geneva Tremlett's Bitter is listed in the RHS Plants for Pollinators
  • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
  • Pollination group: 4
  • Uses: Hard cider
A bittersharp cider apple variety, found at the USDA repository at Geneva, but probably of English origin.

Geneva Tremlett's Bitter cider apple trees for sale

  • Small 1-year bare-root tree $35.95
    Mature height: 6ft-9ft after 10 years
    Dwarf rootstock
    Out of stock
    Sorry we have sold out for this season

Geneva Tremlett's is a hard-cider variety, almost certainly of traditional English origins (but not related to the English Tremlett's Bitter - see below).

It produces a high quality bittersharp juice, which is useful for blending with other varieties.

As with many old English cider apples, picking takes place very late in the fall.

History

Customers may wonder if there is any relation between the "Geneva" Tremlett's variety that we sell here, and the traditional English cider variety called Tremlett's Bitter. The answer is there is no relation, and crucially for cider-making purposes, the Geneva Tremlett's is a bittersharp whereas the English variety is a bittersweet.

Nevertheless there is an unusual connection between these two varieties. For many years the USDA repository at Geneva, NY, maintained scionwood of the original English Tremlett's Bitter, and this was supplied to nurseries throughout the USA who wished to propagate this well-known English cider variety. However it recently came to light that this scionwood had been mis-cataloged, and was not the English Tremlett's Bitter.

The differences are quite obvious - compare our photo, top, with this photo used on our UK sister site. Note the more pointed shape of the English variety. (Sorry, we cannot ship trees from the UK to the USA because of phytosanitary restrictions).

However the "Geneva Tremlett's" or "false Tremlett's" has proved to be a perfectly good quality bittersharp cider variety in its own right (not bittersweet like the original) , and if you are looking for a bittersharp variety for your cider blends it is a good candidate.

The true identification of the Geneva Tremlett's has not been confirmed, but one possibility is that the Geneva variety is actually Skyrme's Kernel, another old English cider variety from the county of Herefordshire, rated by the Victorian pomologist Robert Hogg as "A favourite cider apple in Herefordshire; quite in the first rank".

Geneva Tremlett's Bitter characteristics

  • Gardening skillAverage
  • Self-fertilityNot self-fertile
  • Pollination group4
  • Pollinating othersAverage
  • PloidyDiploid
  • Fruit bearingSpur-bearer
  • WildlifeRHS Plants for Pollinators
  • Picking seasonVery late
  • UsesHard cider
  • Keeping (of fruit)2-3 weeks
  • Juice styleBittersharp (cider)
  • Country of originUnited Kingdom
  • Period of origin1850 - 1899
  • Fruit colorYellow / Red
  • Fruit sizeSmall