Description
Ortley (also known as Cleopatra, White Detroit, Vandyne, White Bellflower, and Woolman’s Long Pippin) has patches of red on a pale yellow skin. It has crisp, juicy, cream-colored flesh with mild flavor. Its peel is tough but thin, so Ortleys bruise easily. Ortley is harvested in October, and it stores well.
Discovered: 1817, New Jersey
Parentage: White Detroit, Vandyne, White Bellflower, Woolman's Long Pippin
Harvest: Late Season
History
Michael Ortley discovered this in his southern New Jersey orchard in 1817, and it was given the name Ortley and also Woolman’s Long Pippin, after a Quaker preacher named Woolman. In 1825, it was sent to the London Horticultural Society, with the name Ortley Pippin. In 1872, it was renamed Cleopatra, the name it is known by in Australia and New Zealand, where it is still grown. Ortley may have fallen out of favor in New England due to its tendency to bear biennially and susceptibility to apple scab.