RHS membership

RHS Fruit Identification Service

Let the RHS Fruit Specialist identify your mystery apple and pear cultivars with the free fruit identification service for RHS Members

About the Fruit Identification Service

Do you have an apple or pear tree but aren’t sure which cultivar it is? The RHS Fruit Identification Service gives RHS Members access to expert help from RHS Fruit Specialists, who can identify apple and pear cultivars from submitted fruit samples and supporting information.

Available free of charge to RHS Members, the service opens each year on 1 September. Members can submit samples by post and receive an expert identification, helping them discover more about the fruit trees growing in their gardens, orchards and local landscapes.

What to send

Choose the best samples for accurate identification

For each cultivar you would like identified, please send:

  • Three typical ripe fruits with stalks attached

Please avoid sending fruit that is:

  • Unripe
  • Misshapen
  • Undersized

Wrap the fruit in tissue paper (or similar) and pack it securely in a box before posting.

Pear tree

How to submit

Everything you need to prepare and post your sample

  • Complete the printable form (49kB Word doc) or include the same information in a letter
  • Include the following information:
    • Your contact details and RHS Membership number
    • Where the tree is growing (town, city or village, and whether it is in a garden or orchard)
    • Typical ripening or picking time
    • Whether the fruit is dessert, culinary, dual-purpose or cider
    • The age of the tree, if known
    • Any other information that may help identification

  • Post your fruit early in the week to help it arrive in good condition
  • Send to: Fruit Naming, Gardening Advice, RHS Garden Wisley, Woking GU23 6QB
  • Response time: We aim to reply within 10 working days of receiving your sample. Some samples can take longer to identify

Additional information:

  • This service does not include identification of crab apple cultivars
  • Each member may submit up to three different cultivars for identification per year
  • Fruit samples can’t be identified at our face-to-face Gardening Advice desks

Fruit identification at RHS Gardens

Bring your fruit along for expert identification at selected events

RHS Harlow Carr Fruit & Veg competitions, 16–18 October

10am–4pm

RHS Wisley Flower Show, 1 September

10am–1pm and 2pm–4pm

RHS Wisley Flower Show, 4 September

10am–1pm and 2pm–4pm

RHS Harlow Carr Fruit & Veg competitions, 16–18 October

10am–4pm

RHS Wisley Flower Show, 1 September

10am–1pm and 2pm–4pm

RHS Wisley Flower Show, 4 September

10am–1pm and 2pm–4pm

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Alternative identification options

Explore alternative fruit identification services and resources

  • Brogdale Collections, home of the National Fruit Collection, offer a postal apple and pear identification service from August to October. Find out more on the Brogdale website
  • Have a go at identifying the fruit yourself using the Fruit ID website
  • Check out the Blackmoor Apple Tasting Day on Sunday 10 October (includes apple identification service)

Apples in an orchard

Looking for gardening advice?

Find expert advice on growing and caring for fruit trees

Explore more gardening with the RHS

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The RHS is the UK’s gardening charity, helping people and plants to grow - nurturing a healthier, happier world, one person and one plant at a time.