imported>Nerd271: /* Popularity */ Restored.

2025-11-17T14:06:43Z

Popularity: Restored.

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{{short description|Apple cultivar}}
{{Infobox cultivar
| name = Red Delicious
| image = Red delicious and cross section.jpg
| species = ''[[Apple|Malus domestica]]''
| hybrid = [[Chance seedling]]
| cultivar =
| origin = {{flagicon|USA}} [[Old Peru, Iowa|Peru, Iowa]], 1872
| marketing_names = {{plainlist|
*Delicious
*Stark Delicious
*Red Delicious
}}
}}
'''Red Delicious''' is a variety of [[apple]] with a red exterior and sweet taste. Known as "the Reds" in the industry,<ref name=":7">{{Cite news |last=Lacitis |first=Erik |date=October 11, 2022 |title=Hate Red Delicious apples all you want, they’re still here |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/agriculture/hate-red-delicious-apples-all-you-want-theyre-still-here/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250304022343/https://www.seattletimes.com/business/agriculture/hate-red-delicious-apples-all-you-want-theyre-still-here/ |archive-date=March 4, 2025 |access-date=March 22, 2025 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> this variety is the result of a chance seedling. It was first recognized in [[Madison County, Iowa]], United States, in 1872. Despite its name, it is not related to the [[Golden Delicious]].

The Red Delicious is harvested in mid-October,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Apple Season: Calendar and Varieties |url=https://rougemontcanada.ca/en/news/apple-season-calendar-and-varieties/ |access-date=September 18, 2025 |website=Rougemont}}</ref> but is available all year round and is best consumed fresh or in salads.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Red Delicious |url=https://waapple.org/varieties/red-delicious/ |access-date=March 22, 2025 |website=Washington Apples}}</ref> It could also make up part of the blend for [[apple cider]].<ref name=":9">{{Cite news |last=Beckerman |first=Jim |date=August 25, 2023 |title=There are 2,500 varieties of apples in the U.S. Here's why — and a guide to the best |url=https://www.northjersey.com/story/entertainment/dining/2023/08/25/apple-guide-best-ways-cooking-and-eating/70615106007/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250701161638/https://www.northjersey.com/story/entertainment/dining/2023/08/25/apple-guide-best-ways-cooking-and-eating/70615106007/ |archive-date=July 1, 2025 |access-date=July 1, 2025 |work=North Jersey}}</ref> Today, the name ''Red Delicious'' covers more than 50 [[cultivar]]s (cultivated varieties). It was the most produced apple cultivar in the United States from 1968 until 2018, when it was surpassed by [[Gala (apple)|Gala]].<ref>[http://usapple.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2018AnnualReviewWeb.pdf 2018 Annual Review] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190124041514/http://usapple.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2018AnnualReviewWeb.pdf |date=2019-01-24 }} U.S. Apple Association.</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Keenan |first=Katherine |date=June 16, 2022 |title=Red Delicious Apples Weren't Always the Worst |url=https://newengland.com/today/food/red-delicious-apple/ |access-date=February 23, 2025 |website=New England Today |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Bjerga |first=Alan |date=August 24, 2018 |title=Gala outpaces Red Delicious to become most popular apple |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/gala-outpaces-red-delicious-to-become-most-popular-apple/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250223160156/https://www.seattletimes.com/business/gala-outpaces-red-delicious-to-become-most-popular-apple/ |archive-date=February 23, 2025 |access-date=February 23, 2025 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> It also lost that title in Canada at around the same time.<ref name=":23">{{Cite news |last=Ward |first=Rachel |date=November 20, 2018 |title=Goodbye, Red Delicious: Canada's favourite apples are now sweeter, more juicy |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/apple-best-kind-canada-1.4911742 |access-date=February 18, 2025 |work=CBC News}}</ref> Even so, it remains popular in Mexico and some Asian countries.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":4" />

A 1996 study found that clones of the Red Delicious were some of the most commonly used to breed new apple varieties, behind only the [[McIntosh (apple)|McIntosh]], [[Golden Delicious]], [[Jonathan (apple)|Jonathan]], and [[Cox's Orange Pippin]]. Many new varieties developed in the nations of the [[Pacific Rim]] have the Red Delicious in their pedigrees.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Noiton |first=Dominique A.M. |last2=Alspach |first2=Peter A. |date=1996 |title=Founding Clones, Inbreeding, Coancestry, and Status Number of Modern Apple Cultivars |url=https://journals.ashs.org/view/journals/jashs/121/5/article-p773.xml |journal=Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science |volume=121 |issue=5 |pages=773 – 782 |doi=10.21273/JASHS.121.5.773|doi-access=free }}</ref>

[[Pollenizer|Pollinating partners]] of the Red Delicious include the Gala, [[Ginger Gold]], and Golden Delicious.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pollination of Red Delicious Apple Trees |url=https://www.orangepippintrees.com/pollinationchecker.aspx?c=11350 |access-date=November 4, 2025 |website=Orange Pippin Fruit Trees}}</ref>

==Origins==
[[File:MalusDSC1422.jpg|thumb|Ripe Red Delicious apples are uniformly red.]]The Red Delicious originated at an orchard in 1872 as "a round, blushed yellow fruit of surpassing sweetness" by [[chance seedling]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Susan Dolan|title=Fruitful Legacy: A Historic Context of Orchards in the United States, with Technical Information for Registering Orchards in the National Register of Historic Places|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M8lVgsLqzVYC&pg=PA76|year=2009|publisher=National Park Service, Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, Pacific West Regional Office, Cultural Resources, Park Historic Structures and Cultural Landscapes Program|isbn=978-0-16-082127-1|page=76}}</ref><ref name="wp" /> [[Stark Brothers Nurseries|Stark Nurseries]] held a competition in 1892 to find an apple to replace the [[Ben Davis (apple)|Ben Davis]] apple.<ref>{{cite web |first=Lee|last=Jackson|title=Delicious Apples and Their History |url=http://www.imagesunlimitedpub.com/uploadedfiles/Delicious%20Apples%20and%20Their%20History.pdf |access-date=2009-10-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713012721/http://www.imagesunlimitedpub.com/uploadedfiles/Delicious%20Apples%20and%20Their%20History.pdf |archive-date=2011-07-13 }}, ''Apples, Apples Everywhere—Favorite Recipes From America's Orchards''. {{ISBN|0-930643-11-9}}. Images Unlimited Publishing.
Maryville, MO.</ref>

The winner was a red and yellow striped apple sent by Jesse Hiatt, a farmer in [[Old Peru, Iowa|Peru, Iowa]], who called it "Hawkeye" in honor of [[Iowa|his home state]].<ref name=":1" /> Stark Nurseries bought the rights from Hiatt, renamed the variety "Stark Delicious", and began [[Plant propagation|propagating]] it. Another apple tree, later named the '[[Golden Delicious]]', was also marketed by Stark Nurseries after it was purchased from a farmer in [[Clay County, West Virginia]].<ref name="ta">
{{cite news |first= Glenn|last= Mulcaster|title=History of a Golden Opportunity. |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/epicure/history-of-a-golden-opportunity/2009/11/02/1257010139525.html|quote=The myth-making in US horticulture that consigned Johnny Appleseed to caricature has coloured the background of the 20th century’s most enduring apple. | work=THE AGE Epicure |date=November 3, 2009 }}</ref> In 1914, the 'Delicious' became the 'Red Delicious' as a [[retronym]].<ref name="wp" />

== Popularity ==
[[File:Äpfel P1260372.jpg|left|thumb|A Red Delicious apple orchard at harvest time in [[South Tyrol]], Italy]]
The Red Delicious originally became popular thanks to not just its visual appeal but also its durability in storage,<ref>{{Cite news |last=CBC Radio |date=August 29, 2018 |title=Red (not so) Delicious apple no longer the most popular |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-wednesday-edition-1.4803065/red-not-so-delicious-apple-no-longer-the-most-popular-1.4803810 |access-date=February 21, 2025 |work=CBC News}}</ref> making transportation easy.<ref name=":3" /> Starting in the 1950s, changes in grocery buying habits led to consumers prioritizing visual appearance. "We started eating with our eyes and not our mouths," observed the [[Pomology|pomologist]] and apple historian [[Tom Burford]].<ref name=":7" /> As a result, commercial growers increasingly selected for longer storage and cosmetic appeal rather than flavor.<ref name="wp" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2018-08-22|title=Red Delicious Apples Didn't Always Suck. Here's What Happened.|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/red-delicious-apples-suck_n_5b630199e4b0b15abaa061af|access-date=2021-05-11|website=HuffPost|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> Consumers at that time associated redness with ripeness.<ref name=":4" /> But the selection of redder fruit caused deselection of flavor, and the genes that produced the yellow stripes on the original fruit were on the same chromosomes as those for the flavor-producing compounds.<ref name=":1" /> Breeding for uniformity and long shelf life favored a thicker skin.<ref name=":1" />

While the Red Delicious had enjoyed moderate success in the market place, its popularity only took off in the mid-twentieth century.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Chokshi |first=Niraj |date=August 29, 2018 |title=The Long, Monstrous Reign of the Red Delicious Apple Is Ending |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/29/business/red-delicious-apple.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200424115811/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/29/business/red-delicious-apple.html |archive-date=April 24, 2020 |access-date=February 23, 2025 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> It became the most popular apple in the United States during the 1940s.<ref name="wp1" /> Up until the 1970s, there were only a small number of apple varieties available for purchase at American supermarkets; these were the [[Granny Smith]], [[Golden Delicious]], and Red Delicious apples.<ref name=":6">{{Cite news |last=Bomey |first=Nathan |date=August 26, 2018 |title=Gala apple passes Red Delicious as America's favorite |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/08/26/red-delicious-apples-gala/1103768002/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250304021644/https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/08/26/red-delicious-apples-gala/1103768002/ |archive-date=March 4, 2025 |access-date=March 20, 2025 |work=USA Today}}</ref> But according to Tom Burford, it was the Red Delicious that was the most heavily promoted by Washington farmers.<ref name=":6" /> By the 1980s, Red Delicious represented three-quarters of the harvest in [[Washington (state)|Washington State]].<ref name="wp1" /> Nevertheless, the selection for beauty and long storage over taste was not popular among consumers.<ref name="wp1" /> Wholesalers began searching for other apple varieties, such as the [[Fuji (apple)|Fuji]] from Japan and the [[Braeburn]] and [[Gala (apple)|Gala]] from New Zealand.<ref name=":6" /> As these competing cultivars entered supermarkets, demand for the Red Delicious declined.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="nyt" /> By the 1990s, heavy reliance on the increasingly unpopular Red Delicious had been a factor driving Washington state's apple industry to the brink of collapse.<ref name="wp" /> In 2000, President [[Bill Clinton]] signed into law a bill bailing out the apple industry, after apple growers had lost $760 million since 1997.<ref name="nyt">{{cite news |last=Egan |first=Timothy |date=November 4, 2000 |title='Perfect' Apple Pushed Growers Into Debt |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9501E5DF1439F937A35752C1A9669C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180824070017/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/04/us/perfect-apple-pushed-growers-into-debt.html |archive-date=2018-08-24 |access-date=2008-08-02 |work=[[The New York Times]] |quote=}}</ref>
[[File:US_Apple_Production_5-yr_Average_(2021-25).png|center|frame|The Red Delicious continues to be the second most produced apple variety in the United States during the first half of the 2020s.]]
American farmers began to replace the Red Delicious in their orchards with other cultivars such as Gala, Fuji, and [[Honeycrisp]].<ref name=":1" /> By 2000, the Red Delicious made up less than one half of the Washington state output, and in 2003, the crop fell to 37% of the state's harvest, which stood at 103 million boxes. Although Red Delicious still remained the single largest variety produced in the state in 2005, others were growing in popularity, notably the Fuji and Gala varieties.<ref name="wp">{{cite news |last=Higgins |first=Adrian |date=August 5, 2005 |title=Why the Red Delicious No Longer Is. Decades of Makeovers Alter Apple to Its Core. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/04/AR2005080402194.html |access-date=2008-07-27 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |quote=}}</ref><ref name="wp1">{{cite news |author= Sarah Yager |title=The Awful Reign of the Red Delicious |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/09/the-evil-reign-of-the-red-delicious/379892/ | work=The Atlantic |date=September 10, 2014 |access-date=September 10, 2014 }}</ref> By 2014 the Washington Apple Commission was recommending growers plan to export 60% or more of production.<ref name="wp1" /> In 2018, the [[Gala (apple)|Gala]] overtook the Red Delicious in U.S. sales for the first time.<ref name=":1" /> According to the [[USApple Association|U.S. Apple Association]], production of the Gala grew 5.8% in 2018 compared to the previous year, whereas that of the Red Delicious fell 11%.<ref name=":3" /> However, exporting the Red Delicious was still a viable option because other countries still had high demand for the apple.<ref name=":4" /> In fact, the Red Delicious accounted for around half of all the apples exported by the United States in 2018.<ref name=":8">{{Cite news |last=Bjerga |first=Alan |date=August 24, 2018 |title=America’s Top Apple Is Now the Gala |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-23/red-delicious-apple-cedes-top-spot-to-gala-after-50-year-reign |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210607232615/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-23/red-delicious-apple-cedes-top-spot-to-gala-after-50-year-reign |archive-date=June 7, 2021 |access-date=March 22, 2025 |work=Bloomberg}}</ref> However, the [[Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food industry|COVID-19 pandemic]] was projected to continue reducing domestic demand for the Red Delicious as many cafeterias and other typical sales points for the apple were closed.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=13 November 2020 |title=Will the pandemic kill off more red delicious apples? – Produce Blue Book |url=https://www.producebluebook.com/2020/11/13/will-the-pandemic-kill-off-more-red-delicious-apples/ |access-date=2021-05-11 |language=en-US}}</ref> By 2021, the Red Delicious accounted for only 15% of the output of Washington state.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last=Hoang |first=Mai |date=October 27, 2021 |title=WA apple growers bank on new varieties to boost consumption |url=https://www.cascadepbs.org/news/2021/10/wa-apple-growers-bank-new-varieties-boost-consumption |access-date=March 20, 2025 |work=Cascade PBS}}</ref> Despite these challenges, during the mid-2020s, the Red Delicious remained one of the most produced apples in the United States.<ref name=":02">{{Cite news |last=Hoang |first=Mai |date=December 26, 2024 |title=After 5 years, has Cosmic Crisp paid off for Washington growers? |url=https://www.cascadepbs.org/news/2024/12/after-5-years-has-cosmic-crisp-paid-washington-growers |access-date=February 21, 2025 |work=Cascade PBS}}</ref> In 2024, the Red Delicious accounted for 12.3% of the American apple market, behind only the Gala (17%).<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 22, 2024 |title=2024-25 Apple Production Will Reach Nearly 260 Million Bushels |url=https://usapple.org/news-resources/2024-25-apple-production-will-reach-nearly-260-million-bushels |access-date=March 30, 2025 |website=US Apple Association}}</ref> Washington State, Michigan, and New York are the nation's top producers of this variety.<ref name=":62">{{Cite web |title=U.S. Apple Industry Outlook 2025 |url=https://usaa.memberclicks.net/assets/Industry%20Outlook%202025%20FINAL.pdf |access-date=October 20, 2025 |website=U.S. Apple Association}}</ref>{{Reference page|page=20}} In Oregon, it remains the most produced apple, in terms of the number of 42-pound [[bushel]]<nowiki/>s harvested.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gebel |first=Meira |date=October 16, 2025 |title=Red Delicious is Oregon's top apple this season |url=https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2025/10/16/oregon-top-produced-apple-red-delicious |access-date=October 21, 2025 |work=Axios}}</ref> However, by this time, most American-harvested Red Delicious apples were for export rather than domestic consumption.<ref name=":5" /> Internationally, the top markets for the Red Delicious are Mexico, Canada, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Indonesia.<ref name=":7" />

Meanwhile, in the top apple-growing provinces of Canada (British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec), farmers have switched to the [[Ambrosia (apple)|Ambrosia]], Honeycrisp, and Gala.<ref name=":23" /> As of the 2020s, almost all of Canada's Red Delicious apples were grown in Quebec and Ontario.<ref name=":62" />{{Reference page|page=38}}

In the European Union, the Red Delicious continues to be one of the most popular apples, taking 6 percent of the regional market, behind only the Golden Delicious and the Gala, as of 2024; there has been some growth in the production of this variety.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 8, 2025 |title=What will 2025 bring for the apple market? |url=https://applesfromeurope.eu/2025/01/08/what-will-2025-bring-for-the-apple-market/ |access-date=September 16, 2025 |work=Apples from Europe}}</ref>

==Sports (mutations)==
Over the years many propagable mutations, or sports, have been identified in 'Red Delicious' apple trees.

=== Patented ===
In addition to those propagated without any patent applications (or cut out because they were seen as inferior), 42 sports have been patented in the United States:

{| class="wikitable"
! Date
! Inventor
! Marketed as
! Mutated from
! Assignee
! Habit
! Pattern
! Earlier
! Color
! Plant patent number
|-
| Apr 3, 1934 ||Henry Shotwell ||Shotwell Delicious|| Delicious || C&O || standard || less stripe || 2 wk. || 3-4 times || {{US plant patent|90}}
|-
| May 18, 1954 || Plough || Royalred1805 || Richared || C&O || standard || blush || 10 d. || lighter || {{US plant patent|1278}}
|-
| Aug 23, 1955 || Brauns || Red King1811 || Starking || Van Well || standard || stripe || 2 wk. || more complete || {{US plant patent|1411}}
|-
| Feb 12, 1957 || Bisbee || Starkrimson || Starking || Stark || spur || blush || "earlier" || more uniform || {{US plant patent|1565}}
|-
| Feb 3, 1959 || Frazier & Jenkins || || Starking || Elon J. Gilbert || standard || blush || 10 d. || brighter || {{US plant patent|1805}}
|-
| Feb 17, 1959 || Hamilton || Chelan Red<ref>Brooks and Olmo, ''Register of New Fruit and Nut Varieties'', 1972</ref>|| || Hamilton || standard || blush || 2 wk. || darker || {{US plant patent|1811}}
|-
| Mar 24, 1959 || Gilbert || Redspur || Starking || C&O || spur || blush || later || brighter || {{US plant patent|1822}}
|-
| Feb 23, 1960 || Hutchinson || Top Red3556 || Shotwell || C&O || standard || striped || 2-3 wk. || darker || {{US plant patent|1916}}
|-
| Apr 5, 1960 || Wood || Woods, Starkspur2606 || Starking || Stark || spur || striped || 1 wk. || deeper || {{US plant patent|1930}}
|-
| Sep 24, 1963 || Gould || || Red Delicious || Miller&Miller || standard || blush || "early" || more intense || {{US plant patent|2285}}
|-
| Aug 11, 1964 || Gilbert Miller || Sturdyspur || Starking || Cons. Orch. Co || spur || blush || "early" || dark || {{US plant patent|2433}}
|-
| Aug 25, 1964 || Frank Rypczynski || "Frank", Super Starking5569 || Starking || Stark || standard || subdued stripes || 30 d. || fuller || {{US plant patent|2440}}
|-
| Mar 15, 1966 ||C.L. Cooper, Washington, US ||Regal Chelan Spur || Welspur || || spur || stripe || 10-14d. || more intense || {{US plant patent|2606}}
|-
| June 4, 1968 || Trumbull || Oregon Spur4819 || Red King || Van Well || spur || stripe || 2 wk. || darker || {{US plant patent|2816}}
|-
| Dec 23, 1969 ||Herbert Diede Washington, US ||Red Bouquet || Starking || Stark || standard || || || more intense || {{US plant patent|2956}}
|-
| Feb 2, 1971 || Matson || Stark Earlibrite5547 || Ryan Red || Stark || standard || blush || 1 month || bright || {{US plant patent|3025}}
|-
| Mar 2, 1971 || Maxam || || Starking || || standard || blush || || deeper || {{US plant patent|3035}}
|-
| Apr 13, 1971 || Norton || || Vance || || spur || || 2-3 wk. || brilliant || {{US plant patent|3040}}
|-
| Feb 19, 1974 || Coke || Rose Red || Starking || Rose || spur || blush || from start || dark || {{US plant patent|3485}}
|-
| May 7, 1974 || Pagnelli || || Starking || Stark || spur || blush || || brighter || {{US plant patent|3541}}
|-
| May 28, 1974 ||A.M. Ward, Washington, US || Early Red One4839 || Brauns || Van Well || standard || stripe || 4 wk. || darker blackish-purple || {{US plant patent|3556}}
|-
| May 28, 1974 || Flanagan || || Starking || Stark || spur || stripe || before Topred || brighter, lighter || {{US plant patent|3557}}
|-
| June 11, 1974 || Slusarenko || || unknown || Stark || standard || stripe || 4 d. before #2440 || red || {{US plant patent|3567}}
|-
| June 25, 1974 ||Fred Campbell, Washington, US || Red Chief3578 || Starkrimson || Hilltop || spur || stripe || "earlier" || deeper, brighter || {{US plant patent|3578}}
|-
|Apr 13, 1976||A.G. Staniforth, B.C. Canada||Spured Royal Delicious||Royal Delicious||Okanogan Nursery || || || || || USPP 3864
|-
|May 11, 1976||C.L. Cooper, Washington, US||Starkspur Prime Red||Topred Delicious||Stark ||tree smaller than Topred Delicious || || || ||USPP 3882
|-
| Nov. 29, 1977 || Silvers || Silverspur || Hi Early || McCormick || spur || stripe || 2 wk. before Hi Early || bright || {{US plant patent|4159}}
|-
| Jan 30, 1979 || Craig || || Bright 'N Early || || spur || stripe || 2 wk. || darker, heavier || {{US plant patent|4372}}
|-
| Aug 12, 1980 || Perleberg || Ace || Starkrimson or Oregon Red || || spur || stripe || 18 d. || bright but deep || {{US plant patent|4587}}
|-
| Jan 19, 1982 || Garretson || || Starking || Carlton || <spur / dwarf || blush || || bright || {{US plant patent|4801}}
|-
| Feb 2, 1982 || Green || Oregon Spur II6190 || Oregon Spur || Wells & Wade || spur || stripe || 10 d. || dark || {{US plant patent|4819}}
|-
| Apr 20, 1982 || Evans et al. || Scarlet Spur6190 || Oregon Spur || Van Well || spur || blush || 2 wk. || red stem || {{US plant patent|4839}}
|-
| Nov 9, 1982 || Coke&Smith || Super Clone4926M || Starking || McCormick, Bountiful Ridge || spur, dwarfing || stripe || no change, late bloom || light || {{US plant patent|4926}}
|-
| Nov 13, 1984 || Kemp || Top Spur5334 || Starkrimson || C&O || spur || stripe || 5-7 d. || deeper, brighter || {{US plant patent|5334}}
|-
| Mar 26, 1985 || Hanners || Eve's Delight || Spokane Beauty || || stripe || || || light || {{US plant patent|5421}}
|-
| May 21, 1985 || Jenkins || Jenred,5472 Starkspur,5472 Ultrastripe5472 || Oregon Spur || Stark || spur || stripe || 15 d. || more consistent || {{US plant patent|5472}}
|-
| Sep 3, 1985 || Hare || Hared,5547 Dixiered,5547 Starkspur5547 || Oregon Spur || Stark || spur || blush || 15-20 d. || dark || {{US plant patent|5547}}
|-
| Oct 8, 1985 || Gonzalez || Rico7237 || Sharp Red || Merleley & al. || standard || stripe || 20 d. || || {{US plant patent|5569}}
|-
| May 31, 1988 || Sandidge || Super Chief || Red Chief ||Van Well Nursery || spur || stripe || 18 d. || red stem || {{US plant patent|6190}}
|-
| Mar 28, 1989 ||J. E. Valle, Washington, US || Vallee Spur6702 || Red Chief || || spur || blush || 2 wk. || dark red with bloom || {{US plant patent|6702}}
|-
| May 29, 1990 || Sali || Sali7237 || Redspur || || semi-spur || blush || "earliest" || purple tinge || {{US plant patent|7237}}
|-
| Aug 4, 1992 ||Arden Winkel, Michigan, US || Earlichief || Redchief || Inter-Plant Patent Marketing || spur || blush || 5-10 d. || brighter || {{US plant patent|7928}}
|-
| Mar 23, 1999 || Deutscher || Cumberland Spur10,832 || Oregon Spur || || spur || blush || 10-14 d. || complete || {{US plant patent|10832}}
|-
| May 4, 2004 || Burchinal || Adams Apple, Burchinal Red Delicious14,757 || Oregon Spur II || || spur || blush || immediately || more uniform, deeper, purple, bloom || {{US plant patent|14757}}
|}

In 1977, the application for #4159 noted the "starchy and bland taste of some of the newer varieties".

The plant patent for #4926 promoted the sport as a [[dwarfing]] interstock, a dwarfing [[rootstock]] for [[pear]]s, or to produce "[[Malus|crab apple]]"-sized 'Delicious' apples.

==Descendant cultivars==
{{commons category}}

* [[Ambrosia (apple)|Ambrosia]]: Golden Delicious × Starking Delicious (suspected)<ref>{{cite web |title=Patent USPP10789 - Apple tree named 'Ambrosia' |url=https://patents.google.com/patent/USPP10789 |work=google.com}}</ref>
* [[Braeburn]]: [[Sturmer Pippin|Sturmer Pipin]] × Red Delicious<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Muranty |first1=Hélène |last2=Denancé |first2=Caroline |last3=Feugey |first3=Laurence |last4=Crépin |first4=Jean-Luc |last5=Barbier |first5=Yves |last6=Tartarini |first6=Stefano |last7=Ordidge |first7=Matthew |last8=Troggio |first8=Michela |last9=Lateur |first9=Marc |last10=Nybom |first10=Hilde |last11=Paprstein |first11=Frantisek |last12=Laurens |first12=François |last13=Durel |first13=Charles-Eric |date=December 2020 |title=Using whole-genome SNP data to reconstruct a large multi-generation pedigree in apple germplasm |journal=BMC Plant Biology |volume=20 |issue=1 |pages=2 |doi=10.1186/s12870-019-2171-6 |pmc=6941274 |pmid=31898487 |doi-access=free}}</ref> (a parent of [[Envy (apple)|Envy]])
* [[Empire (apple)|Empire]]: [[McIntosh (apple)|McIntosh]] × Red Delicious<ref name="Cornell30thBirthday">{{cite web |last=McCandless |first=Linda |year=1996 |title=Experiment Station's successful Empire apple has its 30th birthday |url=https://www.news.cornell.edu/Chronicle/96/9.19.96/empire_apple.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070814094744/http://www.news.cornell.edu/Chronicle/96/9.19.96/empire_apple.html |archive-date=2007-08-14 |access-date=2007-10-13 |work=Cornell Chronicle |publisher=[[Cornell University]]}}</ref>
* [[Fuji (apple)|Fuji]]: [[Ralls Janet]] × Red Delicious<ref name=":03">{{Cite book |last=Mikolajski |first=Andrew |title=The Illustrated World Encyclopedia of Apples |publisher=Lorenz Books |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-7548-2066-6 |pages=77}}</ref> (a parent of [[EverCrisp]])
* [[Kidd's Orange Red]]: [[Cox's Orange Pippin]] × Red Delicious<ref name="NFC">{{citation |title=National Fruit Collection |access-date=31 October 2015 |chapter=Kidd's Orange Red |chapter-url=http://www.nationalfruitcollection.org.uk/full2.php?id=111&&fruit=apple}}</ref> (a parent of Gala)
* [[Melrose (apple)|Melrose]]: [[Jonathan (apple)|Jonathan]] × Red Delicious<ref>{{Cite web |title=Melrose Apples |url=https://specialtyproduce.com/produce/Melrose_Apples_4410.php |access-date=October 29, 2025 |website=Specialty Produce}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Apples|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Apple cultivars with patented mutants]]
[[Category:American apples]]
[[Category:Apple cultivars]]

Red Delicious - Revision history

imported>Nerd271: /* Popularity */ Restored.