American Mother

An old American apple dating from the mid 19th Century

Origin: USA, 1844

Pollination: American Mother is partially self-fertile and would produce some crop without a pollinator but would benefit considerably from a pollinator.Find pollination partners >

British-grown All our bare-root trees are personally hand-grafted by our Nursery Manager and grown on at our nursery in Kent. We have Defra and Plant Healthy certification. More ...

American Mother apple trees produced to order

Closing date for custom graft orders: 14 Jul 2026

We do not stock this variety, but we can produce custom-graft trees for you. Trees can be grafted on any of the following rootstocks:

Form	Rootstock	Price
Maiden	M9Dwarfing	£39.00
Maiden	M26Semi-dwarfing	£39.00
Maiden	MM106Semi-vigorous	£39.00
Maiden	MM111Vigorous	£39.00
Maiden	M25Very vigorous	£39.00

Custom graft trees would be supplied in December 2027. More details of our custom grafting service here.

History and description of American Mother

American Mother arose in Bolton, Worcester County, Massachusetts and was first recorded in 1844. It was introduced to the UK by the famous nurseryman Thomas Rivers. It was popular in the UK in 1920's and 1930's. It received the Award of Garden Merit (AGM) from the Royal Horticultural Society in 1993.

The fruit is medium sized, long conical, ribbed and sometimes lopsided. Deep red flush over a greenish yellow background. The flesh is almost yellow, quite soft and juicy. It is sweet and at best with a perfumed quality. However it can lose flavour quickly after ripening.

Produces an upright tree of average vigour with good scab and mildew resistance. Cropping can be erratic.

Characteristics of American Mother apple trees

Use	Dessert
Colour	Red
Flavour	Sweet
Fruit size	Medium
Picking time	Late Sep
Season of use	Oct-Dec
Tree vigour	Moderate
Tree habit	Upright
Fruit-bearing	Spur-bearer
Cropping	Erratic
Disease resistance	Canker - Susceptible Scab - Very resistant
Suitable for	Late Frost Northern Britain
Pollination date	15
Pollination group	D
Self-fertility	Partially self-fertile
Pollinators	Pollination partners
Progeny	Mrs Phillimore Thomas Rivers