Malus ‘Arkansas Black’ – Heirloom Apple – 7-Gallon

A ‘Winesap’ seedling found in an orchard at Bentonville, Arkansas in 1870. This is a beautiful dark red to almost black apple and considered to be one of the best storage apples – 6 months under refrigeration. The fruit ripens late in the year and is rock-hard when harvested, but softens and improves in flavor in storage. Like its parent ‘Winesap,’ ‘Arkansas Black’ is a triploid variety that does not produce viable pollen – it’s unable to pollenize other apple varieties. Fruit is medium-sized and slightly conical in shape. Yellow flesh is firm, fine-grained, crisp, moderately juicy, and sprightly subacid in flavor. A late bloomer, pollenize with another late variety like ‘Enterprise’ or ‘Esopus Spitzenburg’.