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Malus PERPETU® 'Evereste': a star for 50 years!

Posted on: 26/03/2024

The founding plant of Sapho in 1974, Malus PERPETU® 'Evereste' continues to flourish in towns and gardens, nurseries and orchards across Europe. A look back at the history of this exceptional ornamental apple tree.

The origins of Malus PERPETU® 'Evereste'

Malus PERPETU® 'Evereste' is the result of a long program of scientific research. But its history is above all that of the meeting of passionate men and women and 2 sectors: fruit and ornamental.

It was the early 1970s. Robert Minier, a visionary nurseryman and agricultural engineer, succeeded in convincing INRA's general management of the vital need to give the French ornamental industry a capacity for innovation. In 1972, this led to the creation of the ornamental horticulture research laboratory at INRA's fruit-growing station in Angers.

At this station, a vast selection program is underway, aimed at obtaining disease-resistant varieties of fruit trees (table apples). Among the seedlings (obtained by open fertilization), Luc Decourtye, head of the research program, spotted a highly original little apple tree. It produces tiny orange-red fruits, which remain attached to the branches until the following spring.

This particularly ornamental specimen, proven for its agronomic qualities and resistance to disease (scab, fire blight and even powdery mildew), immediately appealed to nursery growers at the FNPHP(1) meeting. The story begins! The nurserymen got organized, giving birth to SAPHO(2), which distributes and promotes this new variety under a partnership contract with INRA.

(1) FNPHP : Fédération Nationale des Producteurs de l’Horticulture et de la Pépinière (National Federation of Horticulture and Nursery Producers), changed to Verdir
(2) SAPHO : Syndicat d’Amélioration des Plantes Horticoles Ornementales (Ornamental Horticultural Plant Improvement Association), changed to Sapho sarl in 1994.

‘Evereste’ because Eve reste

Everest could have been its name, as it produces a mountain of flowers in spring. But this Malus is finally called 'Evereste' with an e, because the apple of Eve stays (Eve reste in french) on the tree all winter!

Half a century old and not a wrinkle!

Its profuse spring flowering and the orange-red fruit that adorns its branches in winter continue to delight plant lovers.

Nearly a million copies have been sold in Europe since its introduction, and Malus 'Evereste' is still enjoying great success after all these years. There's a good reason for this: it combines an incredible range of qualities.

Its ornamental qualities, reasonable size, resistance to diseases and easy maintenance make it an excellent small urban tree if grown as a stem. As a vining plant, it is an excellent choice for flowering hedges and bushes.

The quality and abundance of its pollen make it an excellent pollinizer, precious to arboriculturists. That's why Malus PERPETU® 'Evereste' is always planted in orchards.

NB : Apple varieties are self-sterile. They must be fertilized with pollen from another variety (cross-pollination) to produce abundant fruit.

An emblematic variety

For all its qualities, Malus PERPETU® 'Evereste' remains a true star among plant creations. A good-natured plant par excellence, it set the tone for all the varieties that subsequently joined the Sapho catalog. What's more, its history reveals all the founding elements that have animated Sapho for 50 years: the collective dynamic of French nurseries that have rallied around the project, the partnership with research, the curiosity and openness to innovation, the passion for plant diversity and the quest for excellence.

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Posted in: News about sapho varieties

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