The Cornish Gilliflower is a cultivar of apple.

Malus domestica 'Cornish Gilliflower'
Cultivar'Cornish Gilliflowerr'
Originintroduced 1813[1]

This cultivar was found in a cottage garden in Truro, Cornwall, England, UK, in about 1800[2] and in 1813 was brought to the attention of the Royal Horticultural Society by Sir Christopher Hawkins, who was awarded a silver medal "for his exertions".[3][4] The word 'gilliflower' is possibly a corruption of a French word girofle meaning clove, believed to be a reference to its odour when cut. The leaves are small and the tree is not a strong grower. It ripens in October.[5]

The Cornish Gillyflower is used as a base for comparison by the RHS fruit committee to gauge the flavour of other apples.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Cornish Gilliflower", National Fruit Collection, University of Reading and Brogdale Collections, retrieved 17 October 2015
  2. ^ "cornish fruit | Orchard Network". orchardnetwork.org.uk. 2013. Archived from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
  3. ^ The Gardener's Magazine, Vol 6, p.575, 1830
  4. ^ Amarsys and Keepers Nursery. "Cornish Gilliflower apple trees for sale - Order online". Keepers Nursery.
  5. ^ "Fruit | Albemarle Ciderworks & Vintage Virginia Apples". albemarleciderworks.com. 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  6. ^ Ormerod, Andrew (2015). "Cornwall Fruit Focus 1 – Opportunities for top fruit; Cornish apples – Philip McMillan Browse | Cornwall and South West Fruit Focus". cornwallandswfruitfocus.wordpress.com. Retrieved 23 November 2015.