A pearmain, also formerly spelled "permain", is a type of

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 ...

. The name may once have been applied to a particular variety of apple that kept well, although in more modern times its inclusion in varietal names was, like the term 'Pippin', "largely decoration"Smith, A. W. (1963) ''A Gardener's Handbook of Plant Names: Their Meanings and Origins'', p.40 rather than indicating any shared qualities. The original 'Pearmain' variety has not been conclusively identified and may now be extinct.

Etymology and history

There has been some debate over the origin of the name "pearmain". The pomologist Robert Hogg suggested that it originated in mediaeval times from ''pyrus magnus'', "great

pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in late summer into mid-autumn. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the Family (biology), family Rosaceae, bearing the Pome, po ...

", and referred to a type of apple having a large pear-like shape.Hogg, R. (1851) ''British Pomology'', London: Groombridge, p.209 Hogg believed that the variety 'Winter Pearmain' was both "the original of all the Pearmains" and the oldest recorded variety of apple in England, with evidence it was cultivated in

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

in c.1200. Other sources suggest that the name "pearmain" was in fact originally used for a type of pear, and was first applied to apples only during the 16th century.Ayto (2012) ''The Diner's Dictionary: Word Origins of Food and Drink'', OUP, p.400 It has been suggested the word was derived from

Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...

''pearmain'' and possibly ultimately from Latin ''parmensia'' "of Parma", though the latter is probably folk etymology. The third and most likely derivation, by the philologist Ernest Weekley, also suggests the term was originally applied to pears, but that it came from

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...

''parmain'', ''permain'', derived from Old French ''parmaindre'' "to endure", and referred to the long keeping qualities of some varieties.Weekley (1921) ''An etymological dictionary of modern English'', v2, p.1057 Rejecting the etymology from ''parmensia'', Weekley noted that 17th-century references to a "pompire" or "pyramalum" (i.e. an "apple-pear") suggested that the original 'Pearmain' apple was named for some quality associated with the pearmain pear; i.e. hardness and long keeping ability.Weekley (1926) ''Words Ancient and Modern'', J. Murray, p.82

'Pearmain' cultivars

Shape: C = Conical, Ob = Oblong, Ov = Ovate, R = Round, COb = Conical oblong, ROv = Roundish ovate, ROb = Roundish oblate, ObOv = Oblongovate Pearmain apple cultivars from England *

Adams Pearmain Adams Pearmain, also called Adam's Parmane, is a cultivar of 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 i ...

(syn. Norfolk Pippin) * Augustus Pearmain C *Balchin's Pearmain * Baxters Pearmain ROv * Benwell's Pearmain C * Bristol Pearmain * Cherry Pearmain R * Christmas Pearmain * Claygate Pearmain * Federal Pearmain R * Foulden Pearmain (syn. Horrex's Pearmain) Ov *Golden Pearmain (syn. Ruckman's Pearmain) C * Golden Winter Pearmain (syn. King of the Pippins) C * Grange's Pearmain (syn. Granges Pippin) * Hormead Pearmain (syn. Arundel Pearmain, Hormead Pippin) R * Hubbard's Pearmain (syn. Russet Pearmain, Golden Vining, Hammon's Permain) * Kilkenny Pearmain * King Charles Pearmain * Lamb Abbey Pearmain * Laxton's Pearmain * London Pearmain * Mannington's Pearmain * Mickleham Pearmain ROv * Old Pearmain * Oxnead Pearmain (syn. Earl of Yarmouth's Pearmain) C * Parrys Pearmain Ov * Ribston Pearmain ROb * Royal Pearmain (syn. Herefordshire Pearmain, Hertfodshire Pearmain) * Rushock Pearmain C * Russet Table Pearmain ObOv * Scarlet Pearmain(syn. Bell's Scarlet Pearmain Hood's Seedling, Oxford Peach) C * Summer Pearmain, (syn. Autumn Pearmain) C * Tibbett's Pearmain C * Vale Mascal Pearmain R * Wickham's Pearmain (syn. Week Pearmain) * Winter Pearmain C *

Worcester Pearmain 'Worcester Pearmain' is an early season English cultivar of domesticated apple, that was developed in Worcester, England, by a Mr. Hale of Swanpool in 1874.

C Of uncertain origin *Barcelona Pearmain (syn. Speckled Pearmain, Polinia Pearmain) Ov Pearmain apple cultivars from America * American Summer Pearmain (syn. Early Summer Pearmain) R * Blue Pearmain * Canon Peramain Ob *Clark's Pearmain C *Cluster Pearmain *Dan Pearmain R *Large Striped Pearmain R *Long Island Peamain Ob * Red Winter Pearmain * Russet Pearmain *Sweet Pearmain * White Winter Pearmain C *Winthrop Pearmain Pearmain cultivars from Germany * Henzens Parmäne C * Maibiers Parmäne * Schwarzenbachs Parmäne COb * Strawalds Neue Goldparmäne

Present status of 'Old Pearmain' variety

There have been many efforts to identify the original 'Pearmain' apple, of supposedly mediaeval origin. Hogg suggested the 'Winter Pearmain' to be the original, and synonymous with the 'Old Pearmain', though S. A. Beach, in his work ''Apples of New York'', noted that "several different varieties" had been propagated in America and England under the name 'Winter Pearmain' and that in many descriptions "it is impossible to determine which Winter Pearmain the writer had in mind".Beach, S. A. (1905) ''The Apples of New York'', v2, p.379 By contrast, Hogg believed the apple identified in some catalogues of the time as 'Old Pearmain' to in fact be a variety called 'Royal Pearmain'.Hogg (1851), p.175 Hogg later claimed to have identified the "true Old Pearmain" growing in the Dymock area.Hogg (1884) ''The Fruit Manual'', p.169 The current 'Old Pearmain' in the

National Fruit Collection The United Kingdom's National Fruit Collection is one of the largest collections of fruit trees and plants in the world. Over 2,040 varieties of apple, 502 of pear, 350 of plum, 322 of cherry and smaller collections of bush fruits, nuts and grap ...

was received in 1924 from a Mr. Kelsey in

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

, but is probably neither Hogg's variety nor the ancient 'Pearmain'.Morgan and Richards (2002) ''The New Book of Apples'', Ebury, p.248

References

{{apples Apple cultivars