earthapple

Earthapple is a fictional plant and fruit used in horticultural simulations and speculative fiction. It is not a scientifically recognized species, and there are no official cultivars, genomes, or conservation statuses associated with it. The term is often employed in hobbyist modeling of orchards and world-building exercises to explore imagined plant biology.

The name derives from the combination of earth and apple, reflecting its imagined earth-toned skin and apple-like form. In many depictions, the earthapple is presented as a temperate-climate fruit with a familiar, approachable silhouette that echoes the shape of a common cultivated apple.

In typical fictional depictions, the earthapple plant is a small deciduous tree or shrub reaching roughly 4–7 meters tall. It bears broad, simple leaves and produces a single round fruit about 4–6 centimeters in diameter. The fruit's skin ranges from green to russet brown, often with a delicate bloom, and its flesh is pale and crisp, with a sweet-tart flavor reminiscent of apples. A central core contains several seeds.

In horticultural simulations, earthapple prefers temperate climates with well-drained soils and full sun. It is usually portrayed as requiring cross-pollination from compatible cultivars. Cultivation follows standard orchard practices: pruning to a preferred form, thinning of crowded branches, and protection against common fruit pests.

Culinary use is analogous to apples: fresh consumption, baking, and preserves. Folklore sometimes credits the earthapple with digestive or restorative properties, though there is no empirical evidence. Nutritional notes in fiction describe the fruit as mostly water, with carbohydrates and small amounts of fiber, vitamins, and minerals similar to apples.

In world-building guides and online hobbyist communities, the earthapple appears as a case study in fictional botany, illustrating how ecology, cultivation, and cultural context can be imagined for a non-existent species.