From the Living Museum
Pendragon
- Origin
- Cornwall, England; found as a single tree by James Evans around the early 1980s and named by him. Claims of a 12th-century origin are unsupported
- Era
- Found about the early 1980s (12th-century claim unsupported)
- Type / use
- Dessert · Cider · Novelty
Portrait to be revealed
History & Stories
Distinctive red-fleshed apple with red skin, deep red or pink flesh, and complex tangy-tannic flavor. Attractive red blossoms. Unique for the combination of a much-repeated (but unsupported) claim of great antiquity, dramatic red flesh, and strong conservation interest among red-flesh enthusiasts.
Folklore & Name
Cornish red-fleshed apple. It is sometimes said to date from the 12th century, but its discoverer, James Evans, found it as a single tree around the early 1980s and named it himself 1,2. Name from the legendary Celtic/Arthurian figure Pendragon. Strong conservation interest among red-flesh collectors; dramatic appearance and claimed antiquity.
Digging into the History
Below my own notes, here is what the old fruit books and today’s collections record about this apple, kept apart from the stories people tell.
What we know
Pendragon is a red-fleshed apple from Cornwall, with red-stained wood, leaves, and blossom. The best record of its origin comes from its discoverer. In 2012, James Evans wrote to the apple researcher Nigel Deacon that he had found it "as a single tree about thirty years ago," and that it was "named for our own purposes and got into cultivation via some local nurseries" 1. He added that when he found it, the owner "thought it was poisonous and didn't even realise that it was an apple! I ate one in front of her and suffered no ill effects" 1.
The competing accounts
- Some sellers and a 2009 newspaper article, as reported on the Fruit Forum blog 2: grown in England since the 12th century.
- James Evans, the discoverer, writing in 2012 1: found it as a single tree about thirty years before, and gave it its name himself.
Most likely (our judgment, not a certainty): an old Cornish tree of unknown age, found and named in the early 1980s. The finder's own account is the only first-hand record, and the name appears in no historical list.
What we think: stories & traditions
A medieval apple? (claim) Some sellers and a 2009 newspaper article said Pendragon had been grown in England since the 12th century. A commenter on the Fruit Forum blog pointed out that the name is not recorded in historical dictionaries and asked, "How do they know the apple variety is more than 800 years' old?" 2. The discoverer's own account suggests the name is modern, even if the tree it came from was older 1. We think the medieval claim is best treated as marketing, not history.
What is certain is that it is a striking apple, with flesh so dark that its first owner was afraid to eat it.
Sources
- Nigel Deacon, "Red Fleshed Apples: Pendragon," DIVERSITY website (with James Evans's 2012 note). suttonelms.org.uk/pendragon.html
- Fruit Forum, "Pendragon Apple: has anyone heard of this?" (2009, with comments). fruitforum.wordpress.com/2009/05/11/pendragon-apple-has-anyone-heard-of-this/
Curious about Pendragon?
Email us at drgoss@honeytreeorchard.com.