Cox’s Orange Pippin (Malus Domestica)

Synonyms:

Origin: UK

History: Raised around 1825 by Richard Cox, a retired brewer, at Colnbrook Lawn in Slough, Buckinghamshire, probably from a Ribston Pippin seed. Introduced about 1850, likely by Smales & Son of Colnbrook, and first shown in 1856 at the British Pomological Society by W. Ingram (Head Gardener to Queen Victoria); early commercial growing began circa 1862 with Thomas Rivers in Hertfordshire, with plantings in Kent in the 1890s and wider uptake in the 1920s with lime‑sulphur sprays. It received the RHS First Class Certificate in 1962, has been a leading English apple since the 1970s, is known under many European synonyms, and is also grown in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, northern France, and New Zealand.

Fruit Description: Medium-sized fruit with greenish‑yellow skin that matures to golden, overlaid by orange‑red flush and red striping, often with small russet dots or patches; flesh is cream colored. The texture is firm, crisp, and fine‑grained with moderate juiciness; sweetness and acidity are in balance, and the profile is aromatic with spicy, nutty, and fruity notes—often suggesting orange, mango, pear, melon, or cherry—plus a light citrus‑ or cider‑like tang and occasional floral or anise hints. Crisp when freshly picked, the flesh softens as the fruit becomes overripe.

Harvest Month: l-Sept/e-Oct

Storage: 3 Months or more

Use: Dessert

Tree Vigor: Moderate

Bloom Day: 12

Fruit Size: Large

Taste Notes: Juicy, sweet and sharp, Aromatic,spicy,nutty,floral, Soft