Ambrosia is a
cultivar of
apple originating in
British Columbia, Canada in the early 1990s. The original tree was first cultivated by the Mennell family of
Similkameen Valley, British Columbia, who discovered it growing in their orchard.
Description
The fruit is medium to large, weighing about , and has mostly red, glossy colouration, with yellow patches. It has cream-coloured, firm meat with a sweet flavour reminiscent of pear and low
acidity
In computer science, ACID ( atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability) is a set of properties of database transactions intended to guarantee data validity despite errors, power failures, and other mishaps. In the context of databases, a sequ ...
. 'Ambrosia' harvest is mid to late season. Trees are hardy and no major disadvantages have yet been identified.
These apples flower in mid to late season, and are in flower group 4.
Ambrosia is most common in British Columbia, where it was discovered, and is the third most-produced apple in the province. It is also being produced in Ontario and Nova Scotia, as well as many other places around the world.
Parentage
The patent provides additional background. Parentage is suspected to be '
Starking Delicious' × '
Golden Delicious
'Golden Delicious' is a cultivar of apple. It is one of the 15 most popular apple cultivars in the United States. It is not closely related to 'Red Delicious'.
History
Golden Delicious arose from a chance seedling, possibly a hybrid of 'Grim ...
' because those apples existed in the orchard where the 'Ambrosia' was discovered growing.
Patent
Ambrosia is a "club" variety of apple, in which a cultivar is patented by an organization that sets quality standards and provides marketing, while production is limited to club members.
The name was never trademarked, and the patent has expired in Canada and the United States.
Centralized control allowed limitation of color variation to pink/red, as the variety would color differently in warmer climates.
The patent expired in Canada in 2015, in the United States in 2017, and in Chile in 2021.
It remains active in many other countries until as late as 2034.
While under patent in Canada, the Mennells obtained plant breeders rights, and all growers were allowed, paying a royalty of C$2 per
tree planting
Tree-planting is the process of transplanting tree seedlings, generally for forestry, land reclamation, or landscaping purpose. It differs from the transplantation of larger trees in arboriculture, and from the lower cost but slower and less re ...
.
While under patent in the US, growers paid the lesser of per tree planting or per acre, and a franchise fee.
See also
*
List of Canadian inventions and discoveries
Canadian inventions and discoveries are objects, processes, or techniques—invented, innovated, or discovered—that owe their existence either partially or entirely to a person born in Canada, a citizen of Canada, or a company or organizatio ...
*
Jubilee apple
*
McIntosh (apple)
The McIntosh ( ), McIntosh Red, or colloquially the Mac, is an apple cultivar, the national apple of Canada. The fruit has red and green skin, a tart flavour, and tender white flesh, which ripens in late September. In the 20th century it was t ...
*
Spartan (apple)
References
{{Apples, state=collapsed
Apple cultivars