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Cultivar · Apple cultivar

Granny Smith

Granny Smith is a bright-green, tart, late-maturing apple that arose as a chance seedling in New South Wales, Australia, around 1868. It is a long-keeping, dual-purpose cultivar used both fresh and for cooking.

Dated referenceLast reviewed: 2026-07-12Updated: 2026-07-12
Illustrative diagram · AgricultureID (original)

Record

Cultivar / variety
Variety of
Apple
Botanical taxon
Malus domestica
Type
Cultivar (clonal)
Breeding method
Chance seedling
Origin
Eastwood, near Ryde, New South Wales, Australia
Registry status
Historical
Registries
Adaptation
Requires a long, warm growing season to ripen fully; widely grown in warm-temperate apple regions and often among the last cultivars harvested.
Intended use
Fresh eating (dessert), Culinary / cooking

Registry listing or variety protection is jurisdiction- and date-specific and does not by itself indicate current commercial availability, universal cultivation approval, patent status, or a recommendation.

Granny Smith is a distinctive green-skinned apple known for its firm flesh and sharp, acidic flavour. It originated as a chance seedling associated with Maria Ann ("Granny") Smith at Eastwood, near Ryde, New South Wales, Australia, around 1868. Its exact parentage is uncertain; it is traditionally said to have grown from the discarded seeds of French crab apples.

The cultivar is valued for its long storage life, firmness, and versatility as both an eating and a cooking apple, and its flesh is slow to brown after cutting. As a clonal cultivar, Granny Smith is propagated by grafting and is now grown across warm-temperate apple regions worldwide.

Origin and history

Granny Smith is named after Maria Ann Smith, a Sydney-area orchardist, on whose property the original seedling is said to have appeared around 1868. The tradition holds that it grew from the remains of French crab apples, but the seed parent is not documented with certainty, so the parentage is regarded as unknown.

The apple was propagated locally and, by the early twentieth century, became commercially important in Australia and, later, internationally. Its combination of firmness, tartness, and exceptional keeping quality made it well suited to storage and long-distance shipping.

Fruit and eating quality

  • Skin bright to grass green, occasionally with a slight pink blush in sun
  • Flesh very firm, crisp, and juicy
  • Flavour markedly tart and acidic with low aroma
  • Slow to brown after cutting; an excellent keeper in cool storage

Uses

Granny Smith is a dual-purpose apple. Its acidity and firmness make it a popular cooking apple that holds its shape and flavour when baked, while many consumers also eat it fresh for its crisp, sour character. Its slow browning makes it a common choice for salads and prepared fruit.

Relationships

Evidence-backed connections in the knowledge graph.

Adapted to climate

Adapted to soil

Scope & limitations

Geographic scope: Global overview of a widely grown cultivar. Ripening, colour, and storage behaviour depend on region, rootstock, and season.

  • The parentage and precise origin date of the original chance seedling are uncertain and partly traditional.
  • Because it needs a long, warm season to mature, performance and eating quality vary considerably with climate and harvest timing.
  • Storage outcomes depend on rootstock, orchard management, and post-harvest handling, which are not specified here.

Sources

This article draws on the following authoritative sources. See our sources & methodology for how they are selected.

  1. [1]GRIN-Global / National Plant Germplasm System (opens in a new tab)

    USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS)

    Authoritative

    Cited for: Cultivar/germplasm record and placement within Malus domestica

    Type:
    Official registry
    Jurisdiction:
    United States / Global
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12
  2. [2]GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility (opens in a new tab)

    Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)

    High

    Cited for: Taxonomy of the parent species Malus domestica

    Type:
    Reference database
    Jurisdiction:
    Global
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12
  3. [3]NCBI Taxonomy (opens in a new tab)

    U.S. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)

    High

    Cited for: Scientific name and classification of Malus domestica

    Type:
    Reference database
    Jurisdiction:
    Global
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12

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