Dessert · 24 trees planted · confidence medium
The benchmark English dessert apple, introduced in 1825 and ancestor of a large share of modern aromatic cultivars. Cidermakers use it for aroma rather than structure - its pear-drop and spice character survives fermentation and lifts an otherwise flat blend - but it contributes almost no tannin. Its heavy disease susceptibility in cool wet conditions is the main argument against planting it in maritime Washington.
Disease: Very susceptible to apple scab, powdery mildew and canker, plus fruit cracking, brown rot and papery bark. WSU Extension specifically advises scab-resistant cultivars for western Washington sites receiving 50+ inches of rain, which makes Cox a poor structural fit for this orchard without a committed spray program.
Discrepancies: Absent from WSU's 77-cultivar cider database, so there is no climate-local trial data - all values come from UK and general sources, which is why confidence is medium and typical_sg is left null. Bloom group: Cummins lists 2, Orange Pippin and the UK standard list 3 - recommended 3 as the more widely corroborated. Parentage is disputed (Ribston Pippin x possibly Blenheim Orange vs Margil x Rosemary Russet) and was left out of the record as unconfirmed.