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King David Apple on MM.111 (Spring 2025)


A highly-flavored, late-season dessert apple.

This tree is about as easy as it gets. Large, bushy, and spreading, it is precocious, productive, and resistant to most major apple diseases (although fireblight can be a problem in zones 5 and higher). It will do well in a ridiculously wide range of climates. Our only recommendation is that the tree be well thinned to maintain annual bearing. Juvenile trees may suffer from bitter pit.

King David is a medium-sized, late-season apple with a pale green skin that is overlaid with a deep dark wine-red. For best flavor, fruit should be harvested as soon as it is fully colored, but if left on the tree the apples will hang into the winter and the color will continue to deepen until it is almost black. The flesh is yellowish; its intensely tart flavor explodes with spice, citrus, and tropical notes that are deepened by caramelized sugars. The intensity can be a bit of a shock. It will store well for about two months, and will make an amazing pie, sauce, or cider.

Discovered on a fencerow on the Arkansas farm of Ben Frost in 1893, King David is thought to be a cross of Jonathan and either Arkansas Black or Winesap. It was introduced to the commercial market by Stark Bros. in 1902.

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This tree is about as easy as it gets. Large, bushy, and spreading, it is precocious, productive, and resistant to most major apple diseases (although fireblight can be a problem in zones 5 and higher). It will do well in a ridiculously wide range of climates. Our only recommendation is that the tree be well thinned to maintain annual bearing. Juvenile trees may suffer from bitter pit.

King David is a medium-sized, late-season apple with a pale green skin that is overlaid with a deep dark wine-red. For best flavor, fruit should be harvested as soon as it is fully colored, but if left on the tree the apples will hang into the winter and the color will continue to deepen until it is almost black. The flesh is yellowish; its intensely tart flavor explodes with spice, citrus, and tropical notes that are deepened by caramelized sugars. The intensity can be a bit of a shock. It will store well for about two months, and will make an amazing pie, sauce, or cider.

Discovered on a fencerow on the Arkansas farm of Ben Frost in 1893, King David is thought to be a cross of Jonathan and either Arkansas Black or Winesap. It was introduced to the commercial market by Stark Bros. in 1902.


The Fruit

Fruit Type

Category: Apple
Subcategory: Heirloom, Disease-Resistant, Cold-Hardy, Hot-Climate

Fruit Uses & Storage

Uses: fresh eating, cider, baking, canning, sauce
Storage duration: one to three months (approximate, depending on storage conditions)

Fruit Appearance

Skin color: purple
Flesh color: yellow

Fruit Origins

Parentage: Jonathan x Arkansas Black/Winesap
Origin: Arkansas
Introduced in: 1902
Introduced by: Stark Bros. Nursery

The Environment

Calendar & Geography

USDA zones: 4 - 8
Chill hours: Not yet determined
Ripening date: Nov 03 (approximate, in New York State) + 49 days after McIntosh

Tree Height & Spacing

Rootstock: MM.111 Rootstock
Rootstock size class: Semi-Standard (85% of Standard)
Tree spacing (natural spread of tree): 24'
Good for wildlife planting? Y

Diseases & Pests

Fireblight: Susceptible
Apple Scab: Resistant
Cedar-Apple Rust: Resistant

Pollination

Pollination Factors

Bloom group: 3
Is it self-fertile? N
Is it fertile? Y
Ploidy: Diploid
Rootstock size class: Semi-Standard (85% of Standard)

Pollination Partners

This table shows the first few results from a full search for pollenizers of King David Apple on MM.111. Please see our Pollenizer Search to run other queries and read how the application uses various factors. Also read more about fruit tree pollination.

Tree Ships Currently in Stock
Dolgo Crab Apple on B.118 2025 40
GoldRush Apple on MM.111 2025 31
Somerset Redstreak Apple on MM.111 2025 27
CrimsonCrisp™ Apple on B.118 2025 26
Galarina™ X-4982 CV. Apple on B.118 2025 20
Enterprise Apple on B.118 2025 13
Anna Apple on MM.111 2025 11
Dabinett Apple on B.118 2025 7
Liberty Apple on B.118 2025 7
Cortland Apple on B.118 2025 6
Wolf River Apple on B.118 2025 5

See all pollination matches for King David Apple on MM.111






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