Cortland is a cultivar of apple developed at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York, United States in 1898.

[1] The apple was named after nearby Cortland County, New York.

After the many attributes of McIntosh were discovered, plant breeders began crossing it with other varieties to enhance its traits.

Its flavor is sweet compared to McIntosh, and it has a flush of crimson against a pale yellow or green background sprinkled with short, dark red stripes and gray-green dots.

[3] The original Cortland variety, introduced in 1915 by the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, produced apples which were 20–30% red, and was not patented.