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Cultivar · Apple cultivar

Honeycrisp

Also known as: MN 1711 (breeding selection number)

Honeycrisp is a dessert apple released by the University of Minnesota in 1991, famous for its distinctively coarse, crisp, juicy texture. It was formerly protected in the United States by a plant patent that has since expired.

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
Cross-breeding (controlled hybridization)
Origin
Minnesota (University of Minnesota breeding programme), United States
Released
1991
Breeder / institution
University of Minnesota
Registry status
Protection expired · United States · as of 2026-07-12Formerly protected in the United States by USDA/USPTO Plant Patent PP7197 (University of Minnesota), which has since expired. A plant patent on a clonally propagated variety is distinct from a utility patent, and plant-variety protection is jurisdiction- and date-specific.
Registries
Intended use
Fresh eating (dessert)

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.

Honeycrisp is a dessert apple developed by the University of Minnesota apple breeding programme and released in 1991. It is celebrated for an unusually crisp, coarse-celled texture that fractures readily, giving a juicy, "explosive" bite, together with a balanced sweet-tart flavour.

For many years its parentage was reported as a cross of Macoun and Honeygold. Later DNA-based parentage analysis showed this was incorrect: one parent is the University of Minnesota cultivar Keepsake, and the other is an unnamed, unreleased Minnesota selection (recorded as MN1627). As a clonal cultivar, Honeycrisp is propagated by grafting.

Origin and history

Honeycrisp originated in the University of Minnesota apple breeding programme, from a cross reportedly made in 1960, and was released in 1991. Under the programme’s numbering it was the selection MN 1711.

The originally published parentage (Macoun × Honeygold) was later corrected through DNA analysis, which identified Keepsake as one parent and an unnamed, unreleased Minnesota selection (MN1627) as the other. This is a well-documented example of a cultivar pedigree being revised once molecular tools became available.

Fruit and eating quality

  • Texture distinctively crisp and coarse-celled, fracturing to release juice
  • Flavour balanced sweet-tart with a mild aroma
  • Skin mottled red over a yellow ground
  • Keeps well under refrigeration relative to many apples

Protection and status

In the United States, Honeycrisp was protected by a plant patent (PP7197) assigned to the University of Minnesota. That patent has since expired, so the cultivar can now be propagated in the United States without a plant-patent licence. Plant-variety protection is jurisdiction- and date-specific, and a plant patent on a clonally propagated variety is distinct from a utility patent.

Relationships

Evidence-backed connections in the knowledge graph.

Adapted to climate

Adapted to soil

Scope & limitations

Geographic scope: Global overview of a modern cultivar. Fruit quality and growing behaviour depend strongly on region, rootstock, nutrition, and crop-load management.

  • The originally published parentage (Macoun × Honeygold) was later shown by DNA analysis to be incorrect; the corrected parentage is Keepsake × an unnamed Minnesota selection (MN1627).
  • Honeycrisp is widely reported as challenging to grow, being prone to bitter pit and biennial bearing; these depend on site, rootstock, nutrition, and management rather than being fixed traits.
  • Plant-patent status is jurisdiction- and date-specific; the expiry noted here concerns the United States plant patent (PP7197) and does not describe every jurisdiction.

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]University of Minnesota Extension — Crop and pest resources (opens in a new tab)

    University of Minnesota Extension

    High

    Cited for: University of Minnesota origin, release, and documented growing considerations

    Type:
    University extension service
    Jurisdiction:
    United States (Minnesota)
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12

Related topics

Crops