Taxon ID:
Usage Facet: class=edible; edible_score=1.0; ornamental_score=0.0; inferred_from_taxon=no
Relationships: 0 | Linked Entities (visible): 0 | Evidence claims: 19 | History events: 0 | Catalog issue offerings: 0
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Evidence Badge: emerging | claims=19 | sources=2 | contradictions=0
Claim Types: description_snippet:3, fruit_size:2, release_year_reference:2, breeding_cross:1, fruit_color:1, source_reference_abbreviation:1 | Open evidence summary JSON | Open citation drawer JSON
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Kit Trio is a yellow Trio crabapple from N. E. Hansen's hardy apple and crabapple work. It was recorded in 1938 and described as a cross of Mercer x Sweet Russet Crab. [S1] [S2] In Hansen's bulletin, it appears among the "International or Three-Species Apples," which places it in his cold hardy apple crabapple breeding stream rather than among standard dessert apples. [S1]
The surviving record is brief but clear about the fruit. Hansen described Kit Trio as about 1 5/8 inches across, or roughly 4 cm, with rich polished yellow skin and flesh that is pleasant, sweet, and juicy. [S1] [S2] It was also noted as cooking yellow and tender, with slices that held their shape and with good kitchen quality overall. This suggests a small but useful culinary crabapple rather than a fruit valued mainly for fresh eating. [S1]
Season notes are limited. Hansen called it late season and reported a heavy crop in 1939. [S1] This points to a productive small fruited crabapple selected as much for use as for appearance.
The sources used here do not describe the tree itself, and this packet includes no direct disease notes or explicit zone statement. [S1] [S2] Its hardiness is instead implied by program context. Hansen listed it among hardy northern breeding material developed for the northern Great Plains, and a later prairie reference kept it as a crabapple class entry. [S1] [S2]
Kit Trio also shows how Hansen's breeding and naming program mixed named apples with crabapple material to improve fruit quality in very hardy stock. Its documented parentage is Mercer x Sweet Russet Crab. [S1] [S2] Beyond that, the present sources do not show later descendants, sibling relations, or a fuller release story.
Summary source basis
This summary currently draws chiefly from New Hardy Fruits for the Northwest, with 1 additional supporting sources linked below.
Featured source descriptions
“Ref F&N.”
— [2]
“Listed in the table of contents under 'International or Three-Species Apples.'”
— [1]
“Listed with hardiness/class code CR.”
— [2]
“Indexed at Bulletin 339, page 21.”
— [1]
Direct parent cultivars
Parentage claim text
Derived or downstream cultivar links
Source-story quotations
Taxonomy context: No family-tree context surfaced yet.
Related cultivars mentioned in source context
Zone assertions are structured rows. Hardiness claim text appears in evidence claims and page-linked citations.
| Zone Min | Zone Max | Zone Text | Assertion Type | Outcome | Location | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No explicit zone assertion rows yet. | ||||||
No linked media assets.
| Document | Title/URL | Rights | Claims | Relationships | History Events | Pages | Snippets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hardy Fruits for the Northwest | unknown | 12 | 0 | 0 | p22 | Kit Trio: Fruit 1 Ys inches across, a rich polished yellow all over; flesh pleasant, sweet, juicy; cooks yellow and tender; the slices retain their shape, quality good.; Kit Trio: Mercer x Sweet Russet Crab.; Kit Trio: 1 |
| 3 | Edible Apples in Prairie Canada | unknown | 7 | 0 | 0 | p40 | Listed as a crabapple (crabapple or applecrab, fruit less than 5 cm diameter).; Reference cited: F&N.; Fruit yellow.; Fruit 4 cm; classified as a crabapple/applecrab (CR), meaning fruit less than 5 cm diameter. |
| Document | Page | Claim Type | Claim | Quote | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | p40 | description_snippet | Listed as a crabapple (crabapple or applecrab, fruit less than 5 cm diameter). | Kit Trio (Mercer x Sweet Russet) Hansen (1938) CR | page_block:0.90 |
| 3 | p40 | source_reference_abbreviation | Reference cited: F&N. | Kit Trio (Mercer x Sweet Russet) Hansen (1938) CR | page_block:0.90 |
| 3 | p40 | fruit_color | Fruit yellow. | Kit Trio (Mercer x Sweet Russet) Hansen (1938) CR | page_block:0.90 |
| 3 | p40 | fruit_size | Fruit 4 cm; classified as a crabapple/applecrab (CR), meaning fruit less than 5 cm diameter. | Kit Trio (Mercer x Sweet Russet) Hansen (1938) CR | page_block:0.90 |
| 3 | p40 | release_year_reference | Associated year: 1938. | Kit Trio (Mercer x Sweet Russet) Hansen (1938) CR | page_block:0.90 |
| 3 | p40 | entry_location | Associated with Hansen. | Kit Trio (Mercer x Sweet Russet) Hansen (1938) CR | page_block:0.90 |
| 3 | p40 | entry_pedigree | Parentage: Mercer x Sweet Russet. | Kit Trio (Mercer x Sweet Russet) Hansen (1938) CR | page_block:0.90 |
| 1 | p22 | verbatim_quote | Season late | Season late | normalized_exact:1.00 |
| 1 | p22 | verbatim_quote | Aheavy crop in 1939 | Aheavy crop in 1939 | normalized_exact:1.00 |
| 1 | p22 | verbatim_quote | Fruit 1 Ys inches across, a rich polished yellow all over; flesh pleasant, sweet, juicy; cooks yellow and tender; the slices retain their shape, quality good | Fruit 1 Ys inches across, a rich polished yellow all over; flesh pleasant, sweet, juicy; cooks yellow and tender; the slices retain their shape, quality good | normalized_exact:1.00 |
| 1 | p22 | verbatim_quote | Mercer x Sweet Russet Crab | Mercer x Sweet Russet Crab | normalized_exact:1.00 |
| 1 | p22 | verbatim_quote | KIT TRIO crabapple-1938 | KIT TRIO crabapple-1938 | normalized_exact:1.00 |
| Year | Nursery | Catalog Issue | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| No catalog issue offerings linked. | |||
| Relation | Type | ID | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| No linked entities at this filter level. | |||
| Type | Claim | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| description_snippet | Listed as a crabapple (crabapple or applecrab, fruit less than 5 cm diameter). | 0.96 |
| source_reference_abbreviation | Reference cited: F&N. | 0.80 |
| fruit_color | Fruit yellow. | 0.95 |
| fruit_size | Fruit 4 cm; classified as a crabapple/applecrab (CR), meaning fruit less than 5 cm diameter. | 0.98 |
| release_year_reference | Associated year: 1938. | 0.93 |
| entry_location | Associated with Hansen. | 0.90 |
| entry_pedigree | Parentage: Mercer x Sweet Russet. | 0.95 |
| description_snippet | Fruit 1 Ys inches across, a rich polished yellow all over; flesh pleasant, sweet, juicy; cooks yellow and tender; the slices retain their shape, quality good. | 0.54 |
| description_snippet | Mercer x Sweet Russet Crab. | 0.54 |
| fruit_size | 1 7/8 inches | 0.58 |
| entry_basin_calyx | Mercer x Sweet Russet Crab | 0.88 |
| structured_entry_json | {"cultivar_name":"Kit Trio","year":1938,"heading_raw":"KIT TRIO","locations":[],"crosses":["Mercer x Sweet Russet Crab"],"fruit_size_mentions":["1 7/8 inches"],"color_mentions":["yellow"],"morphology_terms":["russet"],"p | 0.95 |
| verbatim_quote | Season late | 0.97 |
| verbatim_quote | A heavy crop in 1939 | 0.97 |
| verbatim_quote | Fruit 1 Ys inches across, a rich polished yellow all over; flesh pleasant, sweet, juicy; cooks yellow and tender; the slices retain their shape, quality good | 0.97 |
| verbatim_quote | Mercer x Sweet Russet Crab | 0.97 |
| verbatim_quote | KIT TRIO crabapple-1938 | 0.97 |
| breeding_cross | Mercer x Sweet Russet Crab | 0.90 |
| release_year_reference | 1938 | 0.92 |
| ID | Type | Year | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| No history events. | |||