Catshead
Culinary apple
Culinary apple
Malus domestica Borkh.
Originated in England and known in the 1600s. A distinctly angular and somewhat ugly apple. Fruits are coarse-textured and rather dry with a subacid flavour.
Synonyms:
Apfelmuser, Cat-Head, Cat-head Greening, Cat's Head, Cat's Head Apple, Cathead, Cathead Greening, Catshead Greening, Catshead Round, Coustard, Crede's Grosser Wilhelm's Apfel, de Seigneur d'Automne, Deutsche SchaPsnase, Duke of York, Engelskopf, Green Codlin, Green Costard, Green Leadington, Grenadier, Gros-Nez de Mouton, Grosse gestreifte Schafsnase, Grosse Schafnase, Grosse Schafsnase, Grosse-Schafnas, Grosse-Schafnase, Grosser Schafsnase, Herefordshire Goose, Herrenapfel, Katzenkopf, Leadington, Leadington Green, Leadington Monstrous, Leichter Mat Apfel, Loggerhead, Monstrous, Monstrous Leadington, Pigs Snout, Pomme de Seigneur d'Automne, Rosskopf, Round Catshead, Royal Costard, Schafnase, Schafsnase, Stock Leadington, Stoke Leadington, Tankard, Terwin's Goliath, Tete d'Ange, Tete de Chat, Tete de Chat Ronde, Tete de Seigneur, Tete du Chat, Tete du Chat (of Jersey)
Availability
Material available from the National Fruit Collection.
Material held in Tidnor Wood National Collection® of Malus (Cider making)
Mother to:
Peasgood's Nonsuch
Lord Derby
Lord Derby Spur Type
Fruit Size
large b
Fruit Shape
intermediate to tall, truncate-conic, convex to straight b
Fruit Height
82-88 mm b
Fruit Width
82 mm b
Ribbing
ribbed at eye, prominent ribs on body b
Ground Colour
pale yellowish green b
Over Colour
flushed faint brown b
Flesh Colour
white b
Skin Texture
greasy b
Flesh Texture
tender b
Flavour
sweet, subacid b
Accession name
Catshead
Flowering time
6th May 10% flowering
11th May Full (80%) flowering
19th May 90% petal fall
Picking time
Early October a
Size
large-very large a
Type
Culinary a
Shape
Globose conical a
Height
85.47 mm a
Width
86.12 mm a
Ribbing
strong a
Crown
medium-strong a
Ground Colour
Green yellow a
Over Colour (Amount)
very low a
Over Colour
Orange a
Over Colour (Pattern)
washed out a
Russet
low a
Greasiness
Strong a
Crunch
crisp a
Flesh Colour
White a
References:
a. NFC fruit (undated) Unpublished characterisation by staff at NFC, Brogdale.
b. Smith, M. (1971) National Apple Register