'Alkmene' is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

of domesticated

apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

, also called 'Early Windsor'. Two natural mutations (

sports Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...

) of this cultivar that have red-skinned fruit have been selected: one called 'Red Alkmene' was trademarked under the name of Red Windsor; the other is 'Ceeval'. It was developed between 1900 and 1949, by the

Kaiser Wilhelm Institute The Kaiser Wilhelm Society for the Advancement of Science () was a German scientific institution established in the German Empire in 1911. Its functions were taken over by the Max Planck Society. The Kaiser Wilhelm Society was an umbrella organi ...

Alkeme
at Orange Pippin in Müncheberg, Germany,Alkmene
by Salt Spring Apple Company by crossing the two cultivars '

Cox's Orange Pippin Cox's Orange Pippin, in Britain often referred to simply as Cox, is an apple cultivar first grown in 1825 or 1830 at Colnbrook in Buckinghamshire, England, by the retired brewer and horticulturist Richard Cox (horticulturist), Richard Cox. Thoug ...

' and 'Geheimrat Dr. Oldenburg' (frequently confused with the similar-sounding 'Duchess of Oldenburg'). The result is an early harvest apple (early mid season), which is very attractive, with a honeyed flavor similar to Cox's but slightly sharper. Its main use is for fresh eating. 'Alkmene' flowers early mid season, with self-fertile blossoms, hence no cross pollination is needed. Fruit size is medium and variable, flesh color is yellowish or extremely yellow for an apple, skin has greenish-yellow background with orange-reddish flush and strong red strips. The 'Red Windsor' cultivar has a larger portion of red. It is resistant to

apple scab Apple scab is a common disease of plants in the rose family (Rosaceae) that is caused by the ascomycete fungus ''Venturia inaequalis''. While this disease affects several plant genera, including '' Sorbus, Cotoneaster,'' and '' Pyrus'', it is ...

and susceptible to blossom frost. 'Alkmene' was awarded the

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

by the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

in 1998.

References

Apple cultivars Alkmene German apples {{apple-fruit-stub