Apple Pepin London (Calville Royal, Imperial Calville)

Late autumn, old English variety of unknown origin. Included in the State Register of varieties for use in the North Caucasus region. Previously widely grown in southern fruit-growing areas; currently almost not cultivated.

Trees medium-sized with round, dense crowns. Branches emerge from the trunk at nearly a right angle.

Medium-length shoots, brownish. Leaves medium-sized, oval or egg-shaped, dark green, with wavy, serrated margins, hairy, matte.

Fruits above-average size, round-conical, moderately flattened, broadly ribbed, with clearly visible five bumps near the calyx. Main color — greenish-yellow with a faint, diffuse blush resembling a tan. Fruits turn yellow during storage. Peduncles medium thickness and varying lengths.

Flesh white-cream, firm, with strong aroma, good tart-sweet flavor.

Fruits quickly lose quality during storage.

Early bearing variety, average yield.

Trees are susceptible to scab and powdery mildew, insufficiently cold-hardy.

Advantages of the variety: early bearing and good fruit flavor.

Disadvantages of the variety: low adaptability to adverse factors, insufficient fruit marketability.

Pepin London was widely used as a parent form in breeding. Around thirty varieties have been developed with its participation, including varieties from the Samara Experimental Fruit Station already included in the State Register (regionally adapted): Yellow Ribbed, Kuybyshevskoe, Nadezhda, Narodnaya (all from the cross Antonovka saffron x Pepin London).