Seven once lost apple varieties re-discovered in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

Seven apple varieties, previously believed lost or extinct, have been found in old orchards in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, according to a joint press release by The Temperate Orchard Conservancy (TOC) and The Lost Apple Project (LAP). The re-discovered apples include the Almota, Carlough, Eper, Iowa Flat, Ivanhoe, Kay, and Steptoe. A team of volunteers from the LAP collected the apples in the fall of 2020 and passed them to the TOC, who identified them. The two cooperating projects have now identified a total of 29 apples once thought to be extinct.

Two frontier nurserymen, George Ruedy and Benjamin Buckman are connected to this group of once lost apples. At least five apples, known to have started as seedling trees in Whitman County, WA (where Ruedy lived), appeared in the 1901 printed inventory of Benjamin Buckman's experimental orchard in Farmdale, Illinois.

Three of the apples were Ruedy's introductions, including the Palouse, Whitman, and Colfax. The other two Whitman County introductions are the Almota and Steptoe varieties. The Kay is another locally introduced apple Ruedy likely carried in his inventory. It probably originated in Oregon but was also grown in Lewiston, Idaho, about 40 miles from Ruedy's Colfax Nursery. Ruedy was known to send new apple varieties from Whitman County to colleges and experimental stations around the country. It is believed that Buckman reciprocated Ruedy's gift of at least five trees by sending Ruedy varieties not yet tested in Whitman County. These trees likely included the Iowa Flat and Ivanhoe, varieties in Buckman's 1901 inventory and were not known to have been grown in the areas near Ruedy's nursery.

Almota

Almota was a seedling apple discovered by Charles Moys near Pullman, Washington. The tree was six to eight years old in 1894. USDA artist William Henry Prestele painted a watercolor of the apple in 1894 that incorrectly states Moys' surname as "Maye" and gives the apple the name "Maye Seedling." The painting also listed the name Almota as an alternative name. The apple is described as very large with pale yellowish skin, washed and striped with red. Charles Moys won first place for the best seedling apple at the annual Whitman County Fruit and Agriculture Fair in 1895. Georgie Leinweber, a great-great-granddaughter of Charles Moys, and her family still farm the homestead fields and land added to the farm during the past 125 years. The family still has the award her great-great-grandfather won in 1895.

The Almota apple tree was located southeast of Pullman on land farmed by the Roy Druffle family. The Almota was believed to have been sent by frontier nurseryman George Ruedy of Colfax, WA, to Illinois in the late 1800s along with several other apples that originated in the county. The Almota appeared in the experimental orchard of Benjamin Buckman of Farmdale, Illinois, in 1901.

Carlough

This apple probably originated in New Jersey or possibly New York. It was first recorded in 1891 growing in the trial orchard of Benjamin Buckman in Farmingdale, Illinois. It is described as medium to very large in size with pale greenish-yellow skin, often with a brownish pink blush. The apple is considered good to very good in quality for dessert or kitchen use and can remain in cellar storage until April. Carlough was found west of Salem, Oregon.

Eper

The Eper is believed to be one of thirty-four varieties of apples, plums, and prunes imported from Hungary in the 1890s by the US government and obtained and tested by George Ruedy. The apple is small with greenish-yellow skin with red stripes. It has a pleasant, mild flavor and ripens in September in eastern Washington. The apple tree was rediscovered 20 miles north of Colfax, Washington.

Iowa Flat

The Iowa Flat most likely originated in Iowa and was sold by a nursery in Nebraska not far from the Iowa border. Specimens were sent to the USDA in 1896. The apple is described as large but very oblate in shape. The skin is yellow or greenish-yellow covered with a red blush and red streaks on the sun side of the apple. The Iowa Flat was found near Orchard Avenue in Moscow, ID. The Iowa Flat appeared in the experimental orchard of Benjamin Buckman of Farmdale, Illinois, in 1901.

Ivanhoe

About one mile west of Pullman, WA, is what was once the Pullman Country Club. The club no longer exists, but on the property are many old apple trees. Several old varieties were identified, including the once lost Ivanhoe. Ivanhoe originated in Virginia and is described as medium to large with green or slightly yellow with bronze to reddish blush. The flesh is described as rich and spicy and keeps well. Specimens were sent to the USDA, and a watercolor was painted. The Ivanhoe also appeared in the experimental orchard of Benjamin Buckman of Farmdale, Illinois, in 1901.

Kay

The first known mention of the Kay variety was in a nursery catalog for the Milwaukie Nursery (early spelling) in Milwaukee, Oregon, in 1890. The apple is described as "of good size" with "yellow skin covered with deep red and distinct stripes of darker red." In 1898, a person in Lewiston, ID, sent the apple to the US Department of Agriculture, where it was used for a watercolor painting. In the fall of 2020, a Kay apple tree was located approximately 60 miles south of Lewiston near Flora, Oregon. The Kay appeared in the experimental orchard of Benjamin Buckman of Farmdale, Illinois, in 1901.

Steptoe

The Steptoe was raised from seed by John Thomson, Whitman County, Washington. The Thomson homestead was just 2 miles north of Pullman. Specimens were sent by John R. Reavis, Spokane, Washington, and received by the USDA on November 3, 1894. The apple has one painting in the USDA pomological watercolor collection. Described as large, round, with slight ribbing, the skin is pale yellow and considered very good quality. It is an early winter variety. The re-discovered Steptoe apple was found approximately one hundred miles southwest of the original apple near Waitsburg, Washington, on the property of Waitsburg residents Kate and Eric Hockersmith. The Steptoe apple was listed in the records from 1901 of the experimental orchard of Benjamin Buckman in Illinois.

Once a previously "lost apple" is identified, two apple trees are immediately grafted and planted at the Temperate Orchard Conservancy so they will not be lost again. Scion (grafting) wood and trees are later made available to the public by the TOC at http://www.temperateorchardconservancy.org/ and The Lost Apple Project at https://www.facebook.com/lostappleproject/.

The LAP now has over 20 dedicated members in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho searching for homestead-era apple trees. In 2020 they donated over 1,000 hours to the search for lost apple varieties.