Cultivar 61: Wamdesa

Wamdesa is a wild crabapple selection. A 1938 source describes it as a cross of wild crab and Jonathan apple from Elk River, Minnesota.[S1] A later prairie apple reference also lists it under Hansen in 1938 and repeats the Jonathan parent, though the first parent is uncertain in the scan.[S2] The older bulletin places it among named efforts to tame the American wild crabapple, which helps explain its place in early northern fruit breeding.[S1]

Sources describe Wamdesa as a small red fruit about 2 inches, or about 5 cm, across.[S1] [S2] The fruit is described as thin, solid red all over, with large russet dots and a deep smooth basin.[S1] Its flesh is juicy, acid, and acerb.[S1] It was valued more for cooking than for dessert. It cooked tender into a pleasant light colored sauce with mild acidity.[S1]

Wamdesa is also noted for keeping quality. One source calls it an all-the-year keeper, and the later prairie reference says it keeps very well.[S1] [S2] The tree is described as a very heavy bearer.[S1] No clear disease notes appear in the provided sources.

Hardiness is only partly stated in the packet. The Prairie Canada reference gives it the hardiness code CR, but does not explain that code here.[S2] Its 1938 Minnesota origin and its inclusion in northern hardy fruit literature support its place in cold climate apple history, but the packet does not give a direct zone rating.[S1] [S2]

Wamdesa belongs to the group of wild crabapple x cultivated apple hybrids explored for severe northern conditions.[S1] A related note says Watopa was introduced in 1938 as a sister to Wamdesa but with larger fruit, linking Wamdesa to a broader set of Hansen era crabapple derived selections.[S1]

Summary source basis

• S1: New Hardy Fruits for the Northwest
• S2: Edible Apples in Prairie Canada

This summary currently draws chiefly from New Hardy Fruits for the Northwest, with 1 additional supporting sources linked below.

Featured source descriptions

“Listed in the table of contents under "TAMING THE AMERICAN WILD CRABAPPLE" with entry page 18.”
— ^[1]

“Skin is unctuous and the basin is deep, smooth, and abrupt.”
— ^[1]

“Indexed entry with reference to Bulletin 339, page 18.”
— ^[1]

“Listed with hardiness code CR.”
— ^[2]

Direct parent cultivars

• No direct linked parent cultivars promoted yet.

Parentage claim text

• Wamdesa is described as a wild crab x Jonathan apple cross.
• Listed as foensis x Jonathan; the first parent is scan-uncertain.
• Watopa: Asister to Wamdesa introduced in 1938, but larger, the fruits in 1938 being 2 Ys inches across
• Pedigree appears to be given as ioensis x Jonathan; the scan is unclear and OCR is uncertain.

Derived or downstream cultivar links

• No derived or downstream lineage links yet.

Source-story quotations

• Fruit 2 inches in diameter, thin solid red all over; dots large, russet, many areolar; unctu.ous; basin deep, smooth, abruptNew Hardy Fruits for the Northwest, p19
• Flesh juicy acid, acerb, cooks up tender into pleasant light colored, mildly acid and acerb sauceNew Hardy Fruits for the Northwest, p19
• Wamdesa (foensis X Jonathan) Hansen (1938) cREdible Apples in Prairie Canada, p72
• Wamdesa (foensis X Jonathan) Hansen (1938) cREdible Apples in Prairie Canada, p72

Taxonomy context: No family-tree context surfaced yet.

Related cultivars mentioned in source context