Selections from the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
The watercolor images below represent the most common apple varieties found in Boulder County based on our DNA analysis of sampled trees from 2018. Botanical illustrations have been used for centuries to show differences between plants for a variety of horticultural purposes. In 1886 the USDA commissioned artists to document the different fruit and nut varieties available in the US in the 19th and 20th centuries. Lithographs of these paintings were distributed in publications made available to the public by the USDA. Do you think you would be able to identify an apple variety based solely on the fruit?
