Recently I acquired new scionwood from the USDA ARS GRIN program. There were 4 of these varieties they were out of sciowood for this year but I still listed the description below. Many of these new varieties are so rare there are merely scraps of information available about them. I think many of these will be exceptional! The descriptions are exact quotes as listed on the ARS grin website. What types of pears did you order this year?
https://www.ars-grin.gov/cor/catalogs/pyrcult.html
1 PI 617504 - COR - Pyrus communis reamer red =out
Reimer Red Originated in Medford, Oregon, by Frank C. Reimer. Plant patent 2054; issued 25 Apr. 1961 to Frank C. Reimer. Named and introduced by Stark Brothers Nurseries, Comice x Max-Red Bartlett. Fruit: large; skin yellow ground color, overspread with red; flesh white, fine-grained; resembles Max-Red Bartlett ripening about 3 weeks later. Tree medium to large; vigor moderate. - Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties
2 PI 641291 - COR - Pyrus communis burford
Burford Pear was a selection from my great-grandfather’s orchard that undoubtedly, he found outstanding because of it flavor, ripening quality, tree stamina and above all resistance to fireblight and pear psylla. It likely is also a genetic dwarf, but this is currently at test at Vintage Virginia Orchards in North Garden, VA, where it is grafted on both pear stocks and quince. A 75 to 100 year old tree was my childhood backyard favorite pear tree, growing between the row of outhouses and the gas generator house that piped ‘light’ to the main house. Its companion was a Slappy peach, a huge juicy bomb that I enjoyed hurling into the chicken pens to watch frenetic chicken pecking its delectable flesh. This about seventeen foot tree (I measured it a number of times before cutting the top out) has extraordinarily limber branches. With a full load of from 17 to 20 bushels the unfruited limbs nearly head high would bend to the ground with mature fruit without breakage. In 1954 hurricane Hazel blew the tree to a 45 degree angle, but it was righted by a sling around its trunk with the aid of our faithful Ford 8N tractor and produced it usual full crop of pears. For nearly 60 years I enjoyed the pears canned from this tree. The ripening time for harvest is forgiving and even when fully ripe on the tree or gathered from windfalls the pears are useable for dessert, canning and pickling. A family recipe for pear-pineapple jam is especially memorable with only fresh pineapples, a luxury, used. The most significant use of the Burford pear is fresh canned. They are peeled, cored and packed in quart jars with a light syrup poured over; then processed. The color remains white. In the winter they become a favorite dessert, plain or stuffed with Aboria rice and fruits like canned figs or berries or just cheese with a few dashes of port wine. Hickory or walnuts are also good stuffings. – Tom Burford, April 2003.
Picture from http://rootofdavidnursery.com
3 PI 654919 - COR - Pyrus pyrifolia singo =out
Asian cultivar. Synonym for ‘Niitaka’ according to http://www.virginiagoldorchard.com/descriptions.html (08/06/2003)
4 PI 541443 - COR - Pyrus communis amire joannet
Joannet. Origin France. Mr. Lyon thought it probably the same as ‘Harvest’. Synonyms: Amire Joannet, Amire Johannet, Archduc d’Ete (erroneously), Joanette, Petit Johannet, Pera de San Juan, Petit St. Jean, St. Jean, St. John, St. John’s Pear. – W.H. Ragan, Nomenclature of the Pear, 1908.
Amire Joannet (of Robert Thompson, 1842). Early Sugar, Sugar Pear, Harvest Pear, St. Jean, Joanette, St. John’s Pear, (Archduc d’ete?), This fruit, better known here, as the Early Sugar pear, is one of the very earliest, ripening at the beginning of July - in France, whence it originally comes, about St. John’s day - whence the name, Joannet. It is a pleasant, juicy fruit,of second quality, and lasts but a few days in perfection. It opens the pear season, with the little Muscat, to which it is superiour. Fruit below the middle size, regularly pyriform, tapering to the stalk, which is an inch and a half long, and thickest at the point of junction. Skin very smooth, at first light green, but becomes bright lemon color at maturity - very rarely with a faint blush. Calyx large, with reflexed segments, even with the surface. Flesh white, sugary, delicate and juicy at first, but soon becomes mealy; seeds very pointed. Head of the tree open, with a few declining branches. – A.J. Downing, The fruits and fruit trees of America, 1846.
Amire Joannet (Joannet; Petit St. Jean; St. Jean; Early Sugar; Harvest Pear). Fruit small, regularly pyriform. Skin very smooth, at first of a pale greenish-yellow colour, which changes as it ripens to deep waxen yellow, and with a tinge of red next the sun. Eye open, with stout, erect segments, placed even with the surface. Stalk an inch and a half to an inch and three quarters long, stout and fleshy at the insertion. Flesh white, tender, juicy, sugary, and pleasantly flavoured, but soon becomes mealy. – R. Hogg, The Fruit Manual, 1860.
Amire Joannet. This fruit is small, form oblong ; the skin, when ripe, is light yellow, with a small portion of red ; the flesh white, and when not overripe, juicy and good. It ripens in July, about ten days before the Petit Muscat, to which it is superior in size and flavor. The head of the tree is open, with a few long and hanging branches. – R. Manning, The New England Fruit Book, 1844.
5 PI 312505 - COR - Pyrus communis phileson
Phileson (PI 312505).-Originated in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, by Canada Dept. Agr., Research Station. Introduced in 1947. Kurskaya x Flemish Beauty; selected in 1930. Fruit: large; attractive; quality good. Tree: hardy at Ottawa; vigorous; slightly susceptible to fire blight. Recommended for home gardens in eastern Ontario and Quebec. - Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties
6 PI 641280 - COR - Pyrus spp. ledbetter
North American Pomona Vol. XXIII Winter 1990. Exploring The LEDBETTER PEAR, Finding a Genetic Goldmine. by D.N. Griffith, Dadeville, AL 36853. The Ledbetter pear first came to my attention about 1970 when I started showing my interest in pear varieties that would thrive in the southeastern U.S. and also produce an acceptable quality fruit. I had talked with Dr. Alexander Nunn of Loachapoka, AL about it. He had a bearing tree in his home orchard which he had purchased from a local nurseryman named Barringer. Dr. Nunn was very enthusiastic about it, for the tree is almost immune to fireblight and leaf spot, is a strong-growing, globe-shaped tree, is self-pruning, blooms rather late, and is a fairly regular producer. The fruit is medium to large size, round, with an even russett skin. Lopsided fruit is uncommon. In my opinion the flavor is good but not outstanding. The texture is too coarse for most markets, having stone cells that are large but soft, so that they crunch when chewed… The fruit ripens in mid-August in mid-Alabama, ready to be eaten fresh from the tree or to be cooked, canned, or made into Southern-style crunchy-chewy preserves. (A) Ledbetter sons had told me that 'Papa was sawmilling down at Crossroads, between 1900 and 1905 when he saw a thrifty little pear seedling where one of the workers had tossed a core the year before. He dug it up and brought it home in his lunch bucket and set it out in the edge of the garden, beside the road. 'It was about forty feet high, about sixty feet spread and more than 21/2 feet across the single trunk, with only a few dead limbs… I also noticed a smaller tree up the hill, closer to the house-site with a good crop of similar fruit. Since I was on my way to visit Dr. Nunn… (kepping) the two batches separate. After careful scrutiny, he decided that they were from different clones, and comparing them to fruit from his own tree, decided that Mr. Barringer had taken scions from the younger tree. From the viewpoint of the plant breeder, it seems highly important that we have the parent of a good variety,… for more good breeding work. My graft from the older tree has had some minor damage from fire-blight… Then in the early 1980’s a… timber company (had) harvested all marketable timber and bulldozed off… both pear trees,… But that wasn’t the end of it… the real Ledbetter tree was a half mile away on the Arthur Ledbetter place, still producing well in spite of losing nearly half of its limbs in a storm. Arthur’s daughter, Willie Ruth, told me that she remembered that their tree had been dug up and brought there from under the big tree on the Reynolds place, and that it is, now approximately 65 years old. This establishes the relationship of the Ledbetter tree to the big one, but what about the smaller one nearer the house site? And since Arthur had no sons, who was the man who told me that ‘Papa was sawmilling down at…’? These questions led me to visit Uncle Benny Ledbetter who is 84… I learned… that there had been a John Ledbetter who had owned and lived on the property, about the turn of the century, which was later sold to Virgil Reynolds. John had a son named Homer… With the great similarity between the real Ledbetter pear that Mr. Barringer propagated and the younger tree at the Virgil Reynolds/John Ledbetter place… In conclusion, it appears that the chance seedling that John Ledbetter brought home in his lunch bucket, near the turn of the century, has produced two offspring, and possibly more, that are locally esteemed and have great resistance to disease. These same genes are still available for breeding more pear varieties for the Southeast. early 1980’s a…
picture from https://basspecantrees.com/product/john-ledbetter-pear/
7 PI 617647 - COR - Pyrus pyrifolia Vietnamese Asian pear
An unidentified woman from Eugene, Oregon area brough scions to a community scion exchange in Albany, OR in March 1994. Apparently either seeds or scions had been brought from Vietname several years earlier and have been growing at a private residence. Trees were propagated from scions obtained at scion exchange and subjected to heat threapy and meristem tip culure to eliminate Pear vein yellows virus.
8 PI 189695 - COR - Pyrus communis ulitchka
Accession was developed. Former Serbia and Montenegro
9 PI 542007 - COR - Pyrus ussuriensis Tzu ma li
Accession was developed. China
10 PI 255616 - COR - Pyrus communis -napoleon
Napoleon. One of the new Flemish pears; the size is large, the form long, round at the blossom end, contracted in the middle, obtuse at the stem, which is short; the skin at maturity is a yellowish green; flesh melting and fine, with an unusual quantity of juice; in some soils, a little too astringent; tree healthy and strong, bears well, and the fruit ripens in October. [This tree has borne with us fine melting pears, without astringency, for two years past. Bears greatly on small trees.] – R. Manning, The New England Fruit Book, 1844.
11 PI 200378 - COR - Pyrus communis Josephine de malines
A famous very late winter pear. Small to medium, almost cone-shaped, pale green with juicy, buttery, tender, sweet flesh. A good cropper every year, this variety should not be picked until the leaves fall and must be brought to ripeness carefully or its flesh will remain granular and tasteless. Not ready to eat until after Christmas. Bunyard praised this pear almost too highly, saying, ‘If one winter pear only can be grown this should be selected.’ Of Belgian origin about 1830. – Robert Nitschke, Southmeadow Fruit Gardens Catalog, 1976.
Raised about 1830 by Major Esperen at Malines, Belgium, and named after his wife. Fruit small, bergamot to short conical; skin smooth or slightly rough; flesh white tinged green, fine melting, sweet and moderately juicy. A good winter pear. Tree weak to moderate. Good resistance to pear scab. – Jim Arbury, Pears, 1997.
12 PI 541207 - COR - Pyrus communis highland
Highland (PI 541207). -Originated in Geneva, NY by Robert C. Lamb, Agriculture Experiment Station. Introduced in 1974. Bartlett x Comice, cross made in 1944, selected in 1956, tested as NY 10274. Fruit: 2.5 inches in diam.; pyriform; skin yellow with irregular light russet; flesh melting, juicy, few grit cells, flavor sweet, fruity, quality very good; ripens 28 September at Geneva, 4 weeks after Bartlett, a dessert variety. Tree: size medium; somewhat upright; vigor medium; productive; hardiness about like Bartlett; susceptible to fire blight. – Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties.
Ripens late, keeps well in storage and ripens easily on the shelf. – Robert Nitschke, Southmeadow Fruit Gardens Catalog, 1976.
13 PI 541201 - COR - Pyrus communis shroyers sunset
Oregon’s Home Orchard Society (HOS) voted at their November 2018 annual meeting to name a favorite pear selection in memory of long-time member Jerald (Jerry) Shroyer who was born on November 24, 1932 and died on November 9, 2017. Shroyer’s Sunset (PI 541201) is a delicious little pear that was among hundreds of varieties transferred to the USDA National Clonal Germplasm Repository when it opened in 1981 from Oregon State University’s Experiment Station near Medford. Little is known about this un-named selection from Canada, other than it was from a cross made in 1925 by O.A. Bradt in Ontario. The catalog at the Southern Oregon Experiment Station listed this pear as HES 25021, the letters presumably an acronym for ‘Harrow Experiment Station’. There are no records to link this selection to a particular pedigree, however the fruit resembles the cultivar Seckel in size, shape and coloration, although it tends to be slightly larger than ‘Seckel’. The fruit ripens in mid-September, and like ‘Seckel’ has superb texture and flavor. HES 25051, now Shroyer’s Sunset, has been a favorite of HOS members during their annual visits to the USDA Pear Repository in Corvallis.
14 PI 541710 - COR - Pyrus hybr. eureka
First fruited by a Mr. Dickinson of Eureka, Illinois in 1910. Introduced by A.M. Augustine of Normal, Illinois. Said to be a cross of Seckel and Kieffer. Fruit medium or smaller in size and resembles Seckel in form. Skin waxy, bright yellow in color, usually blushed, rather attractive. Flesh fairly firm, juicy, some grit at the center. Superior to many Sand Pear hybrids in dessert quality. Tree displays characteristics of both parents. About the same as Kieffer in blight resistance. – H. Hartman, 1957.
According to correspondence with A.M. Augustine, Normal, Illinois, the introducer of this pear, it was fruited in 1900 by a Mr. Dickinson of Eureka; a chance cross between Seckel and Kieffer and shows characteristics of both parents. Tree reported similar to Kieffer in leaf, habit of growth and resistance to and recovery from blight. Fruit medium, shaped like Seckel; skin delicate, waxy, bright yellow, slightly russeted, with a bright red cheek; flesh flavor of Seckel, more solid, longer keeper. – U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York, 1921.
15 PI 541252 - COR - Pyrus communis rogue red
Rogue Red. Originated in Medford, Oregon, by F.C. Reimer, E. Degman, and V. Quackenbush, S. Oregon Experiment Station. Introduced in 1969. Comice x [Seckel x Farmingdale seedling 122]; cross made in 1947; selected in 1955; tested as 5-235. Fruit: similar in shape to Comice; skin is covered with 60% to 80% red blush; flesh quality excellent; late winter variety to supplement Anjou, Packham’s Triumph and El Dorado; harvest period coincides with Comice and Bosc, but may be ripened any time up to May; following cold storage, variety is ripe and ready to eat after 7 to 10 days at room temperature; storage scald has not been observed, and virtually no bruises or skin abraisions appear. Tree: unusually upright; vigorous; productivity moderate, but regular; foliage light green and rolled; compatible with French and quince rootstocks; moderately susceptible to fire blight; symptoms of stony pit have been found when grafted on infected trees; blooming period overlaps Anjou and Bartlett; pollen of Bartlett, Bosc, and Comice twice as effective as Anjou. --Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties.
A promising pear variety, ‘Rogue Red,’ was released March 28, 1969, by Oregon State University. The variety originated from an original cross by F.C. Reimer and a second cross in 1947 by E. Degman and V. Quackenbush, of the Southern Oregon Experiment Station in Medford, Oregon. ‘Rogue Red’ [Comice x (Seckel x Farmingdale sdlg #122)] was first harvested and evaluated in 1955. This selection has been tested each subsequent year with respect to harvest date, storage and shelf life, color, and dessert quality. This high quality, attractive red pear appears promising for the late winter market. Also, ‘Rogue Red’ could be used to extend the gift box market after Comice season. Although this new variety cannot be expected to replace any existing variety, it could supplement the varieties now grown in Oregon. Trees of ‘Rogue Red’ are vigourous, upright in growth, with foliage light green and rolled. Bark is red on year-old shoots, but brown-gray on older wood. Trees are moderately productive and bear regularly. Fruit is large, 3 1/2 inches long, 3 inches wide, obovate-acute-pyriform, with a moderately long tapering neck. Uniform in shape; stem is 3/4 inch long, woody and curved, fleshy at the base. Skin is thick, smooth except for russet markings, dull greenish color, becoming greenish yellow, with a conspicuous reddish blush covering 60-80 percent of the fruit surface. Flesh is white, fine grained with some stone cells, melting, tender, very juicy under proper storage, very sweet with a distinctive flavor, and very good dessert quality. As a scion, ‘Rogue Red’ is compatible with P. communis and Cydonia (quince) rootstock. The young shoots of the variety are susceptible as Comice to fire blight. Stony pit symptoms have been found on the fruit when grafted on trees infected with stony pit virus. The bloom period falls between that of Anjou and Bartlett, overlapping both. However, Bartlett pollen is more effective than Anjou in setting fruit. ‘Rogue Red’ is ready for harvest when a Magness-Taylor pressure tester (5/16 in. plunger) registers 13-15 lbs. on pared fruit. this harvest period coincides with that of Comice and Bosc. At maturity the juice of the ‘Rogue Red’ pear contains 15-20% soluble solids and 170-240 mg. of titratable acids per 100 ml., which is as high as other winter pear varieties. The ‘Rogue Red’ pear ripens after cold storage in 7-10 days at temperatures of 65-70 F. However, unlike many winter pears, cold storage is not required preceding the ripening process. Harvested fruit take about 15 days to ripen at room temperature without previous cold storage. Storage scald, a physiological surface break-down of the fruit, has not been observed. Almost no bruises or skin abrasions appear on the fruit after normal handling… --P. Lombard, M. Thompson and Q. Zielinski. 1969. Fruit Varieties and Horticultural Digest 23(4):71-72.
Picture from https://www.donatefruit.com/products/rogue-red-pear?variant=17765568967
16 PI 541535 - COR - Pyrus communis-doyenne du comice -crimson gem=out
Crimson Gem Comice ( PI 541535).–Originated in Phoenix, Oregon, by Lyle Kinney. Introduced in 1977 by Sierra Gold Nurseries, Yuba City, California. US Plant Patent 4263. Bud mutation of Regal Red Comice. Discovered in 1965. Fruit: resembles Comice; skin thick, smooth, glossy, solid red throughout growing season, with little or no purplish tint and having slight yellowish undercolor when ripe; flesh white, fine, tender, juicy, sweet; ripens about 22 Sept. in southern Oregon; hangs well, keeping quality good to 15 January. Tree: spur-type, large, roundish. – Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties –
From U.S. Plant Patent 4263 (issued June 1978, Expired 1995): A new and distinct variety of pear tree, distinguished principally from its parent, the Regal Red Comice, by being a spur-type tree bearing fruit, having a substantially solid red color throughout the growing season, with little or no purplish tint and having very slight yellowish undercoat when ripe, having substantially thicker and tougher skin, and having a rounded shape more nearly similar to the standard Doyenne du Comice.
17 PI 541998 - COR - Pyrus ussuriensis pai li
Description: Pai Li originated from Honan, China. The fruits are large, pyriform, and greenish yellow. The flesh is granular, juicy, with a fair quality. The trees are vigorous. In Chico, California, Pai Li season begins early in August. – Pu Fu Shen. 1989.
Pai Li is probably the most popular pear among the Chinese in north China, and is it is also very highly regarded by all foreigners. The sweet flavor of this variety especially appeals to the Chinese, and it must also be added that most Chinese do not care for the tart and sub-acid fruits which we regard so highly in this country… The Pai Li is medium in size, usually 1.5 to 2 inches, although occasionally 2.5 inches in diameter. It is roundish or slightly oblate in shape. The color is a light lemon yellow, with many small inconspicuous cinnamon dots; and the skin is smooth, shiny and quite thin. The calyx is deciduous in about 80% of the fruits and persistent or partly so, in the remainder. At picking time, the flesh is firm, but becomes mellow, tender and is juicy whent ready to eat. No grit cells are noticeable except around the core as in the European pears. The flavor is sweet and very agreeable. In quality, it compares very well with the better European pears. It is an excellent keeper and can be obtained on the Peking market from October to the first of March.
In north China this is often known as the ‘Peking Pear’ as it is very papular at Peking and many other markets obtain their supply there. It is also extensively grown in the neighborhood of that city. This should prove a valuable pear for home use in local markets in America. It should also prove of value in breeding work, as it is of excellent quality and a splendid keeper, and possibly also in breeding blight resistant varieties as it appears to be a hybrid with P. ussuriensis as one of its parents. – F.C. Reimer. 1919. Report of a trip to the Orient to collect and study Oriental pears.
‘Pai Li’ scions were collected by F.C. Reimer and received at the USDA Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction on 16 February, 1918 and assigned PI 45848. Chenganssz, near Peking
18 PI 617584 - COR - Pyrus communis joeys red flesh
Scions received in 1992 from Clarence Barker, then of Albany, Oregon. Mr. Barker had obtained this cultivar from his nephew Joey. The original tree was in a 100 year old orchard on Joey’s Farm in McGraw, New York. The fruit ripens in the fall, unlike other NCGR red flesh pears which all ripen in the summer. This may be the old German ‘Blutbirne’.
19 PI 352634 - COR - Pyrus pyrifolia kosui
Kosui (English Translation = Good Water) (PI 352634).–Originated at the National Horticulture Research Station, Tsukuba, Japan. Cross of Kikusui x Wasekozo made in 1941, first fruit in 1947, named and released in 1959. Fruit: medium, mostly russeted, yellow to golden brown; crisp, juicy, very sweet; ripe 2 weeks before Hosui and Chojuro; stores 8 weeks. Tree: medium, vigorous, spreading; resistant to Alternaria black spot, moderate resistance to scab. A high quality, early ripening Japanese pear - Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties
20 PI 224089 - COR - Pyrus pyrifolia -yakumo=out
Akaho x Nijisseiki Comment: Received from Tokyo University, Japan to Glenn Dale, MD to NCGR-Corvallis.
21 PI 541711 - COR - Pyrus hybr. garber
Raised by J.B. Garber, Columbia, Pensylvania, prior to 1880. Added to APS catalog list, 1891. Fruit closely resembles that of Kieffer is size and form, though a little more rounded. Skin pale yellow in color, often blushed with dull red on sunny side, numerous small dots. Flesh white, granular, somewhat tender, moderately juicy. fairly pleasing in flavor although no better than Kieffer in dessert quality. earlier than Kieffer in season. Tree moderate in vigor and blight resistance, upright-spreading, good foliage, reasonably productive. – H. Hartman, 1957.
A few trivial differences separate Garber from Kieffer. The pears ripen a week or two earlier than those of Kieffer, are a little rounder, flatter at the ends, and some say are a little better in quality -certainly they are no worse to eat out of hand. The tree is hardy to heat and cold, and is much planted in the Mississippi Valley, North and South. The variety might be sparingly planted in New York as an ornamental. Garber is one of many seedlings of the Chinese Sand pear, raised by J. B. Garber, Columbia, Pennsylvania, sometime previous to 1880. It is supposed to be of hybrid origin. the variety was aded to the American Pomological Society list of recommended fruits in 1891 where it has since remained. – U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York, 1921.
22 PI 541534 - COR - Pyrus communis doyenne du comice regal red
Regal Red Comice (Red Doyenne du Comice) (PI 541534).-Originated in Phoenix, Oregon, by Charles Lyle Kinney, Medford, Oregon Introduced in 1965. Plant patent 2527; 1 June 1965; assigned to Bear Creek Orchards, Medford, Oregon. Bud mutation of Doyenne du Comice; discovered in 1960. Fruit: similar in size, shape, conformation and character to that of Comice; color overall red with slight purplish tint when ripe, has a mottled greenish-yellow undercoat when it approaches ripeness; flesh white, fine melting when ripe; eating quality excellent. Tree: identical to Comice, except for darker foliage. - Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties
Pictures from Regal Red® Comice
23 PI 541347 - COR - Pyrus communis moe
Moe (PI 541347).-Originated in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, by Canada Dept. Agr. Research Station. Introduced in 1947. Zuckerbirne x Clapp Favorite; selected in 1930. Fruit: size medium; quality good; early ripening. Tree: very hardy at Ottawa; quite resistant to fire blight. No longer recommended for home gardens in eastern Ontario and Quebec. - Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties
24 PI 541300 - COR - Pyrus communis spadona di salerno
Accession was developed. Italy Accession was donated. 24-Mar-1981. Maryland United States
25 PI 541269 - COR - Pyrus communis sucra verte
The name means ‘Sweet Green’ in English. Origin obscure. Believed to have come from Barmont, a chateau on the boundary of Burgundy. Described as early as 1598. Well known in Paris by 1670. Fruit small in size, roundish-turbinate in form. Skin smooth, glossy, intense green in color with inconspicuous dots. Flesh white, fine, but with some grit at the center, buttery, juicy. Fairly sweet, nut-like aroma, pleasing flavor. Early midseason. Tree vigorous, spreading in habit, very productive. Moderately susceptible to blight. – H. Hartman, 1957.
Fruit medium or below, globular-turbinate; skin shining, intense green, dotted with numerous gray and green dots, a little whitened on the shaded side, yellowish when ripe; flesh yellowish-white, buttery, melting, semi-fine, some grit about the center; juice plentiful, sugary, slightly perfumed; excellent but variable; October. – U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York,1921.
Green Sweet. Synonyms: Bayonnaise, Green Sugar, Green Summer, Gris de Chine, Prince’s Green Sugar. Sucre Verd, Sucre Vert, Sugar Pear, Sukerey d’Automne, Verdette. – W.H. Ragan, Nomenclature of the Pear, 1908.
This pear came from France; it is of moderate size; the form round, a little oblong - the blossom end flat, the eye sunk but little below the surrounding part, towards the stalk it is a little diminished; the stem large, about an inch in length - the skin is smooth and green - the flesh buttery, the juice sweet and well tasted - it ripens in October. The tree is of vigorous growth. – W. Coxe, A view of the cultivation of fruit trees, 1817.
26 PI 541259 - COR - Pyrus communis saint andre
Origin obscure. First observed by Leroy in 1829. Received in the United States by Robert Manning in 1834 or 1835. Fruit small to medium in size, generally ovate in form but quite irregular. Skin greenish-yellow in color, waxy, some green or gray dots. Flesh fine, melting, quite free of grit, very juicy. Sweet, aromatic, highly pleasing flavor. Midseason. Tree moderately vigorous, spreading in habit, very productive, true dwarf on quince. Somewhat resistant to fire blight. – H. Hartman 1957
Picture from Hovey’s Fruits of America -1852- THE SAINT ANDRE PEAR
27 PI 541170 - COR - Pyrus communis dawn
Dawn (PI 541170).-Originated in Beltsville, Maryland, by U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Introduced for trial in 1960. Michigan 437 (Barseck x Bartlett) x Comice; tested as US 570. Fruit: slightly smaller than Bartlett; pyriform, resembling Bartlett in shape but with a somewhat smoother surface; flesh sweet with a trace of acid, spicy, very juicy, quality very good, aromatic; almost entirely free of grit cells; ripens for prime eating in 12 to 14 days when held at 70F; ripens about 14 days earlier than Bartlett at Beltsville. Tree: upright; moderately vigorous; bears mainly on short terminals; not highly resistant to fire blight, probably no more so than Bartlett; flowers contain moderate quantities of pollen. Recommended for trial in areas where Bartlett can be grown, as a high-quality variety ripening 2 weeks before Bartlett. - Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties
28 PI 541168 - COR - Pyrus communis conference
Conference (541168).-A standard for midseason dessert pears in western Europe. Originated at Sawbridgeworth, England, by Thomas Rivers and Sons and introduced in 1894. Leon LeClerc de Laval o.p. Exhibited at the National British Pear Conference in 1885, for which it was later named. Fruit: medium to large size; long pyriform; skin smooth, green, unevenly russeted; flesh pale yellow with pink tinge, tender, melting, very juicy, sweet. Season: October and November; good storage life. Cropping early, regular, heavy; tends to produce misshapen parthenocarpic fruit. Self-fertile, diploid; good pollen. Tree: moderately vigorous; very productive; susceptible to fire blight. Highly rated in Europe, but has not performed as well in Oregon. - Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties
29 PI 541158 - COR - Pyrus communis canal
Canal Red (PI 541158) (Reimer Canal, Canal). -Originated in Medford, Oregon, by Frank C. Reimer. Introduced in 1974 by Stark Brothers Nurseries and Orchards, Co., Louisiana, Missouri. Forelle x Max Red Bartlett, discovered about 1955, selected in 1966, tested as Reimer Canal. Fruit: most nearly resembles Comice; skin yellow ground color with bright red blush, attractive; flesh smooth, melting, sweet, quality excellent; a dessert variety; ripens late August in central Missouri. Tree: large; upright vigor good, hardy; productivity moderate, fruit sets well, susceptible to fire blight. - Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties
picture from The Book of Pears - Canal Red
30 PI 131232 - COR - Pyrus communis -pound
Unpublished flow cytometry results (October, 1997) suggest PYR 458.001 is 3x or 4x. – J. Postman, 2006
The cultivar originated around 1690. Among some of its synonyms are: Uvedale’s St. Germaine, Belle Angevine, Pound, and Bell. Pound tree bears very large pears, which may weigh two to three pounds. Because of its weight, the fruit often drops off the tree before it is suitable for picking. The fruit is obovate-pyriform, yellow with pink blush on the cheek. Its flesh is tough, subacid and has poor quality.
Pound is grown in collections for its monstrous fruits. The pears not infrequently weigh three pounds, and one is noted weighing four pounds, nine ounces. The pears are course in form, texture and flavor - but one degree better in flavor than the potato-like fruits of Kieffer and even more sappy… This is a very old pear of uncertain origin, possibly dating back to Pliny, who wrote about eighty years after the beginning of the Christian era. – U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits, 1922.
Pound. Only valued for cooking. Synonyms: Abbe Mongein, Anderson, Angora, Beute de Tervueren, Beauty of Turvueren, Beauty of Turvensen, Belle Angevine, Belle de Jersey, Bellisime d’Hives du Bur, Berthebirn, Bolivar, Bolivar d’Hiver, Bretagne le Cour, Chamber’s Large, Comice de Toulon, Comtesse de Terweuren, Cordelier, D’Horticulture, Dr. Udale’s Warden, Duchesse de Berry, Duchesse de Berry d’Hiver, DuTonneau, English Bell, Faux Bolivar, Funtovka, German Baker, Gros fin or long d’Hiver, Grosse Dame Jeanne, Grosse de Bruxelles, La Quintyne, Large Cordelier, Lent St. Germain, Louise Bonne d’Hiver, Pfundbirne, Pickering Pear, Pickering Warden, Piper, Poirie Angora, Royal d’Angleterre, Union, Uvedale’s St. Germain, Uvedale’s Warden, Winter Bell. – W.H. Ragan, Nomenclature of the Pear, 1908.
Pound Pear. This is one of the largest winter pears, it sometimes weighs from twenty-six to twenty-eight ounces - the form is regular, full and round at the crown, lessening gradually towards the stem, which is long and large - the skin is green, with a brown cheek; it becomes yellow, and the cheek takes a lively red when kept from the air towards the spring; it has a firm flesh, which becomes red like a quince when cooked, for which purpose only, it is preserved through the winter - it is a great bearer; the tree grows large, and is very hardy; these pears should be suffered to hang on the tree as late as possible, they may be kept in bran, chaff or paper, excluded from the air, which preserves their fullness, renders them more juicy and tender, and gives them a fine colour. – W. Coxe, A view of the cultivation of fruit trees, 1817.
