Know your apple varieties!

A little help to identify your apple variety

Don’t know what variety your apples are?

If you have an orchard in the Southwest or even just a few apple trees and don’t know what the variety of apple is but would like to know – you’re in luck!

Professor Keith Edwards and his team at Bristol University are running a research programme where they are using some clever DNA fingerprinting techniques to identify varieties of apples. You can find out all about his programme here. They have already captured data for a large number of known varieties from the Brogdale National Fruit Collection, Welsh Botanic Garden and from John Thatchers Heritage Collection at Sandford but there may be many that are as yet unidentified. It is these that Keith and his team are interested in.

Follow 3 simple steps and know your apple variety

Step 1

Collect 3 or 4 leaves from the tree and put them in a plastic bag.

Step 2

Put a reference number on the bag and include your name and address.

Step 3

Put your plastic bag in the envelope and send it to

Professor Keith J. Edwards, Functional Genomics: Office 316, Life Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol.

BS8 1TQ.

When the testing is completed the results will be published on the University’s internet site and you will be able to find the results by searching for your reference number. If you have a new previously unidentified variety then the team may be in touch to find out more.

If you already know your apple variety – then get it confirmed!

If you think you know what variety of apple you have and would like to confirm it then the Brogdale National Fruit Collection Team can help. You will need to supply samples of apples and leaves. To find out more about the whole process please take a look here.

Learn More