# Styre

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Apple variety

For the sci-fi character, Sontaran Field Major Styre, see [The Sontaran Experiment](/source/The_Sontaran_Experiment).

'Styre' Species Malus domestica Origin England, before 1600s.

The **Styre** or **Stire**, also known as the **Forest Styre**, was an old [English](/source/England) variety of [cider apple](/source/Cider_apple) which was formerly common in the [Forest of Dean](/source/Forest_of_Dean). It is currently thought to be [extinct](/source/Extinct), but may still survive in old orchards or gardens.

## History

The Styre originated in the Forest of Dean, where it grew well on the local thin [limestone](/source/Limestone) soils: in common with a handful of other old apple varieties, it could be simply propagated without [grafting](/source/Grafting), by striking root from branches pulled from the tree's crown.[1] Although the variety's age is unknown, it was clearly very old, its name having a possible [Anglo-Saxon](/source/Anglo-Saxon_language) root.[1] The Styre had a reputation for producing a valuable, exceptionally flavoursome and unusually strong [cider](/source/Cider). [John Philips](/source/John_Philips), in his 1708 poem *Cyder*, refers to it as "Stirom, firmest fruit", and describes it as making a long-lasting, smooth, yet deceptively strong drink.[2]

The pioneer American [pomologist](/source/Pomologist) and politician [William Coxe, Jr.](/source/William_Coxe%2C_Jr.) grew a number of specimens of the Styre in his orchard in [Burlington](/source/Burlington%2C_New_Jersey), [New Jersey](/source/New_Jersey), and commented in 1817 that the variety was even then "supposed to have passed the zenith of its perfection, and to be rapidly declining [in Herefordshire]", though his own trees attracted attention for their luxuriant growth.[3] A number of other authors in this period commented that the Styre's productiveness and quality was in decline. It has been retrospectively suggested that this was because the Styre was a [triploid](/source/Triploid) apple, and in later years lacked suitable [cross-pollinators](/source/Cross-pollination), meaning that it fruited poorly.[1] Older apple varieties may also suffer from a build-up of viruses in their tissues over time.[4]

By the mid 19th century, the variety was already becoming uncommon, replaced by more modern cultivars. Writing in 1858, H. G. Nicholls commented, "Cider obtained from the styre apple used to be a common beverage; but that fruit has long been extinct".[5] By 1898 another writer stated it was "almost extinct", commenting that old writers reported it yielded a "rich, full-flavoured and strong cider", commanding a high price, on the right soils.[6] In fact, the Forest Styre seems to have survived for many years afterwards in some areas. It was last known of by staff of the [Long Ashton Research Station](/source/Long_Ashton_Research_Station) at a farm in [Aylburton](/source/Aylburton) in the late 1950s,[7] and what was said to be the final recorded tree of the variety, at [Halmore](/source/Halmore) in the [Vale of Berkeley](/source/Vale_of_Berkeley), was not cut down until 1968.[8]

Pomologists are currently searching for any surviving specimens of the Forest Styre.[8]

## Characteristics

The Styre is, or was, characterised by small fruit with a pale yellow skin and a red blush on the fruit's sunward side; the fruit were borne on a very short stalk.[9] It was probably a full 'bittersharp' type apple, high in tannin and acid. As well as producing good cider, the initially acidic flesh became sweet, honey-like and edible with keeping.[7] The tree itself was very large and had a vigorous upright growth, though it tended to run to wood and did not always fruit well.

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-martell_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-martell_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-martell_1-2) Martell, C. *[Native Apples of Gloucestershire](http://www.gloucestershireorchardgroup.org.uk/native_apples_of_gloucestershire.pdf)* [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20110124153247/http://www.gloucestershireorchardgroup.org.uk/native_apples_of_gloucestershire.pdf) 2011-01-24 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine), p.102

1. **[^](#cite_ref-philips_2-0)** Philips, J. *Cyder*, ii.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-coxe25_3-0)** Coxe, W. *A view of the cultivation of fruit trees*, M. Carey & Son, 1817, p.25

1. **[^](#cite_ref-martell130_4-0)** Martell, p.130

1. **[^](#cite_ref-nicholls_5-0)** [The Forest of Dean - A Historical and Descriptive Account](http://www.forest-of-dean.net/downloads/eBooks/The_Forest_of%20Dean_an_historical_and_descriptive_account.pdf), 1858, p.151

1. **[^](#cite_ref-cooke_6-0)** Cooke, C. W. R. *A Book about cider and Perry*, H. Cox, 1898, p.19

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-martell101_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-martell101_7-1) Martell, p.101

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-gog_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-gog_8-1) [Gloucestershire Orchard Group Newsletter](http://frontpage.woodland-trust.org.uk/ancient-tree-forum/atfnews/images/GOG.pdf), 13 (Spring 2008), 24

1. **[^](#cite_ref-hogg_9-0)** Hogg, R. *British Pomology*, p.86

v t e Apples List of apple cultivars Species Malus domestica Malus niedzwetzkyana Malus sieversii Table apples Adams Pearmain Aia Ilu Airlie Red Flesh Akane Åkerö Alkmene Allington Pippin Ambrosia Anna Annurca Aport Ariane Arkansas Black Ashmead's Kernel Aurora Golden Gala Autumn Bough Autumn Glory Baldwin Beacon Beauty of Bath Belle de Boskoop Bellflower Ben Davis Birgit Bonnier Braeburn Brina Cameo Champion Civni (Rubens) Claygate Pearmain Clivia Cornish Aromatic Cornish Gilliflower Cortland Cosmic Crisp Court Pendu Plat Cox's Orange Pippin Crimson Gold Cripps Red Cripps Pink (Pink Lady) Delbard Jubilée Delbarestivale Delrouval Devonshire Quarrenden Discovery Dorsett Golden Dougherty Duchess of Oldenburg Dumelow's Seedling Egremont Russet Ellison's Orange Elstar Empire Enterprise Envy Esopus Spitzenburg Eva EverCrisp Fiesta Filippa Flamenco Florina Fuji Gala Gascoyne's Scarlet Geheimrat Dr. Oldenburg Ginger Gold Golden Delicious Golden Orange Goldspur Granny Smith Gravenstein Grimes Golden Haralson Hokuto Honeycrisp Honeygold Idared Ingrid Marie James Grieve Jazz Jersey Black Jonadel Jonagold Jonathan Jubilee Julieta Jupiter Kanzi Karmijn de Sonnaville Kidd's Orange Red King of the Pippins Knobby Russet Lady Alice Laxton's Superb Liberty Liveland Raspberry Lodi Lord Lambourne Lucombe's Seedling Macoun McIntosh Melba Melrose Mutsu Newtown Pippin Nicola Opal Sciros (Pacific Rose) Pam's Delight Papirovka Paula Red Pink Pearl Pinova Prima Pristine Rajka Ralls Janet Rambo Rave Red Astrachan Red Delicious Red Pineapple Redlove apples Rhode Island Greening Ribston Pippin Roxbury Russet Sandow Sansa Sekai Ichi Spartan Splendour Star of Devon Stayman Sturmer Pippin SugarBee Summerfree Sundowner Sunflare Sunset Suntan SweeTango Taliaferro Tartu Rose Tentation Tompkins King Topaz Tsugaru Wealthy Winesap Winston Worcester Pearmain Wyken Pippin York Imperial Zestar Cooking apples Antonovka Bismarck Blenheim Orange Bramley Calville Blanc d'hiver Campanino Cellini Chelmsford Wonder Costard Creston Crimson Bramley Flower of Kent Golden Noble Granny Smith Grenadier King Byerd Manks Codlin Newton Wonder Norfolk Biffin Northern Spy Reinette du Canada Rome Upton Pyne White Transparent Wolf River Cider apples Brown Snout Cap of Liberty Chisel Jersey Coccagee Crimson King Dabinett Dufflin Ellis Bitter Foxwhelp Golden Russet Golden Spire Hangdown Harrison Cider Kingston Black Major Michelin Poveshon Redstreak Slack-ma-Girdle Styre Tom Putt Woodcock Yarlington Mill Ornamental apple Flamenco Goldspur Wijcik McIntosh Apple products Food Apfelküchle Apple butter Apple cake Apple cheese Apple chip Apple cider vinegar Apple crisp Apple dumpling Apple flour Apple pie Apple sauce Apple seed oil Apple strudel Apples and honey Baked apple Brown Betty Candy apple Caramel apple Eve's pudding Himmel und Erde Jewish apple cake Pectin Drink Apfelwein Apple cider Apple juice Applejack Calvados Cider Ice cider Pommeau Agriculture Apple picking Apple scab Applecrab Arctic Apples Fruit tree pruning Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae Johnny Appleseed Malling series Malus Pearmain Pollination Pome PRI disease resistant apple breeding program Reinette Russeting USApple Association Lists Countries by apple production Apple diseases Notable individual apples Apple of Discord Apples in mythology Forbidden fruit Golden apple Isaac Newton's apple tree Apples Cultivars Production

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Styre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styre) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styre?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.