This seems like a very interesting pear and does anyone out there grow it?
**[Beurré Alexandre Lucas (3x) = PI 541132
Traits: QUINCE COMPATIBLE, POLYPLOID (3x flow cytometry 2008), HEIRLOOM, LATE RIPE (WINTER PEAR), FIRE BLIGHT RESISTANT
per USDA GRIN
“Originated as a chance seedling in the Department of Loire et Cher, France, 1866. Fruit resembles that of Buerre d’Anjou in size and form. Skin smooth, quite free of blemish, green-yellow with green dots, quite attractive. Flesh white, medium fine, buttery, juicy. Sweet with pleasing flavor, equal or superior to Buerre d’Anjou in dessert quality. Apparently keeps as long as Anjou in cold storage, ripens easily and retains it’s quality for some time afterwards. Somewhat softer than Anjou in texture and more susceptible to pressure bruises. Tree moderately vigorous, clean, and productive. Semi-dwarf on quince. Moderately susceptible to blight. – H. Hartman, Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station, 1957.”
Beurré Alexandre Lucas. 1. Le Bon Jard. 358. 1882. 2. Jour. Hort. 18:216. 1889.
The parent tree was a wilding found in 1836 in a wood of the Department of Loir-et-Cher, Fr., and in foliage and growth much resembles Doyenné Boussock. Fruit large to very large, handsome, pyriform, clear green, dotted with maroon or chestnut-colored spots; flesh fine, melting, perfumed, juicy, in flavor superior perhaps to Doyenné Boussock; first; Nov. to Jan.
This is not a pear i grow but it is well known as a high quality pear. Any pear that starts with the word beurre in it means buttery. Many of these european pears i research here https://pomologie.com/poire/poire1/datapoir/europe.html
I have an Alexander Lucas tree, but it is only two years in ground and hasn’t fruited yet. Originally I planted it because I tasted it in my ex—employers orchard and was very pleased with it. It is a very smooth, buttery pear. What impressed me as well was the big fruits. In his orchard they got significantly bigger than Bartlett. Since they are quite bulky as well, the impression is of a very big pear.
Beurre Hardy also showing some FB resistance here as well; mS=“moderately susceptible” but it was more resistant than El Dorado and much more so than Bosc and Red Bartlett. Another buttery variety to consider.
Small to medium sized, round conical fruit. Green skin turning greenish yellow when ripe. A little russeting. Slightly gritty, crisp and juicy white flesh. Good flavour. Sweet with a hint of acidity.
the places in EU or the UK dont ship to the US (they dont do phytosanitary certificates) so no havent found a place to order it from. There are plenty of places that have it but getting it is the rate limiting step. Still looking and confident I can obtain it.
I got the spot for that one. Between clara f and dutchess. These are away at my moms far from my other varieties. I want seeds… and fruit, of course. Just applying some concepts
of horizontal genetic resistances ford maybe a better rootstock and or long term fb resistant tree. Just with all the diversity in fb, no wonder resistant varieties get hit eventually.
I grow it and have just harvested a couple baskets today for storage in our wine cellar. Too early, but better than too late… The pears are huge, it’s getting windy and hornets know how to ripen them… I’ve left about half of the load on the tree.
We usually bring them in mid-September and let them ripen on windowsils. My partner says that when he was a kid, they stored them on top of a wadrobe in the hall.
And to illustrate the tree’s vigour: This one was leaning at a ~40° angle in early spring of 2023 and we had to cut it. So the new leader is 1.7 seasons old…
