Most of us are aware pears go by many names making them very hard to trace. @Fusion_power is building a cross reference database for us. White Doyenne was the variety referred to by Pliny as Sementinum. That is a Roman pear.
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Trees of Antiquity
Origin of this ancient variety is uncertain. Agostino Gallo mentioned it as early as 1559. Although questioned by more recent authorities, the German author, Henri Munger, was of the opinion that White Doyenne was the variety referred to by Pliny as Sementinum. The variety is said to have been brought to America by the early French Huguenots. — Fruit medium in size, ovate-obtuse-pyriform in shape. Skin smooth, waxy, straw-colored, numerous inconspicuous green dots, attractive. Flesh somewhat granular, somewhat buttery at maturity, moderately juicy. Sweet, aromatic flavor but lacks somewhat in dessert quality. Midseason. Tree fairly vigorous, willowy in habit, strong, productive, moderately susceptible to blight. White Doyenne is a cosmopolitan variety, appearing to thrive under a wide range of conditions. Lack of top dessert quality, however, had prevented it from becoming a leading commercial sort. – H. Hartman 1957.
Synonyms:
A Courte Queue, Bergoloo, Beurre Blanc, Beurre Blanc d’Automne, Beurre Doyenne Blanc, Beurre Doree, Beurre Du Roi, Blanc, Bonne-ent, Burgalue, Butter, Butterbirne, Butter Pear, Butter Pear (of Philadelphia), Carlisle, Citron de Septembre, Common Doyenne, Dean’s, Dechantsbirne, Die Weisse Herbst Butterbirne, Doyenne, Doyenne Blanc, Doyenne White, Edwige, Gall Butter, Garner or Gardner, Kaiserbirne, Kaiser d’Automne, Monsieur, Neige Blanche, Nouvelle d’Ouef, Passe Colmar d’Autumn, Pine Pear, Poire de Limon, Poire de Neige, Poire de Seigneur, Poire de Simon, Poire du Doyen, Poire Monsieur, Poire Neige, Regnier, Reigner, St. Michael, Saint Michael blanc, St. Michael (of Boston), St. Michael (of New York), St. Michel, Snow Pear, Sublime Garnotte, Valencia, Valentia, Virgalieu, Virgalieu (of New York), Virgaloo, Virgalue, Virgoulouse, Warwick Bergamot, Weisse herbst Butterbirne, White Autumn Beurre, White Beurre, White Butter, White Dean, White Deschantsbirne, White or Autumn Butter, Yellow Butter
Medieval Cookery was kind enough to build a nice cross reference list and site their sources.
“Origin uncertain. May be the ‘Sementinum’ pear of Greece.”
https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/accessiondetail?id=1436217
