Maria Smith was an Australian orchardist who invented those apples by accident - it is believed that a French crab apple tree of hers may have been pollinated by a different genus ... moreMaria Smith was an Australian orchardist who invented those apples by accident - it is believed that a French crab apple tree of hers may have been pollinated by a different genus of apple tree. "Granny" Smith's cultivar is now the most popular cooking apple worldwide.