Varieties of apple

The apple is a pome – a fruit consisting of firm, juicy, flesh surrounding a core that contains several seeds. There has been an incalculable number of mutations and crossbreeding. In the 6th century BC, the Romans knew of 37 different varieties of apples. The Romans contributed to the spread of the apple to England and across Europe.

In the 4th century BC, Greek botanist Theophrastus knew several varieties of apple and recommended those from the Crimea as the best.

Around 1620, the early settlers bought the apple with them to North America. Today over 7,500 varieties of apple are known to exist.

In Canada and the United States, 18 to 25 varieties comprise the majority of the commercial apple crop, though many other varieties many be found in home gardens. The ranking of leading varieties of apples produced in the United States is as below:
Delicious (37.9 %)
Golden Delicious (16.4%)
Rome Beauty (8.1%)
McIntosh
Jonathan
Stayman
York Imperial
Newtown Pippin
Winesap
Cortland
Gravenstein
Northern Spy
Rhode Island Greening
Other varieties (8.3%)

Delicious by far, the leading apple variety produced in North America. Nearly 60% of total Delicious production comes from Washington State. Delicious is originated from a mutation on a farm in Peru, Iowa about 1881.

Golden Delicious is harvested from September into mid-November, depending upon location.  The variety rates second in US apple production.

A new apple tree can grow from an apple seed. However, it will not grow the same variety of apple as the tree that made the seed.
Varieties of apple