• The Anna apple looks similar to the red delicious.red delicious apple image by tim elliott from Fotolia.com
  
  When you think of Florida, an apple is not the round fruit foremost on your mind. Yet, Florida yields several apple species, which flourish under the hot Florida sun. These apple trees require about 300 to 400 chilling hours below 45 degrees Fahrenheit to grow fruit. Most of these trees originated on another continent. Species native to the United States like the golden delicious cannot grow in Florida, because most native apple trees require more chilling hours than Florida gets in a year.
  
  

Anna

• Imported from Israel in 1967, the Anna apple tree resembles the red delicious. It matures with a 30 to 40 percent red blush to the skin on a tree noted for heavy production. The apples taste sweet to semi-acidic. The 2 1/2-inch diameter fruit blooms around late June to July in central Florida. Growers have successfully propagated this low-chill apple in Florida, California and south Texas. Plant near dorsett golden trees; the species depend on each other for pollination.
  
  

Dorsett Golden

• The dorsett golden apple tastes and resembles the golden delicious. This species grows in low-chill locations like Florida or even the low desert. It needs less than 300 hours of cold weather to develop fruit. For optimal yield, plant the dorsett golden near an Anna apple tree. These species cross-pollinate. The dorsett golden originated in the Bahamas and was imported to Florida. A faint pink hue below the yellow characterizes the dorsett golden. The fruit grows to about 2 inches in diameter and develops in June.
  
  

Ein Shemer

• Imported from Israel around the same time as the Anna apple tree, the yellow-skinned ein shemer resembles the Anna apple's shape although the fruit grows to about 2 3/4 inches. The fruit tastes sweet compared to other apple varieties, the ein shemer flourishes with little to no chill, making it a natural fit for the warm temperatures that blanket Florida year round. The apples store less than 2 weeks in refrigeration.
  
  

TropicSweet

• The University of Florida developed the TropicSweet in its breeding program. The apple cross-pollinates with the Anna and the golden dorsett. The TropicSweet develops fruit in late May to June. It needs between 260 to 300 chilling hours. As its name suggests, the fruit tastes sweet. It stores for 6 weeks.