Given the overwhelming presence of White Doyenne in pear breeding, why don’t we have the original in the USDA collection? I don’t see White Doyenne anywhere in the ARS-Grin list of pear varieties in the repository yet it is listed by a few online tree sellers like Trees of Antiquity.
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White Doyenne is a common pear available, and Corvallis tends to only grow really rare hard to find types. They also may call it another name like Sementinum. It tastes wonderful. @marknmt originally told me about it, and @scottfsmith also grows it. You can read more on it here at the other link. A problem when growing it is what name do you find it under when buying it? Here are its names, among others. I would just ask for scions on the forum. Mine succumbed to fire blight.
" 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"
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It is there as Doyenne Blanc PI 541281. I expected it to be there under one name or another.
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Just for fun, here is a list of pears with White Doyenne as a parent. Note some of the names such as Anjou, Bartlett, Comtesse Clara Frijs, and Seckel. Bartlett alone has thousands of named offspring.
Ananaska ceska
Anjou
Ayer
Bartlett
Belle Lucrative
Belle Picarde
Beurré d’Anjou
Beurré de Bollwiller
Beurré de Nantes
Beurré de Saint Nicolas
Beurré Giffard
Beurré Gris dHiver Nouveau
Bloodgood
Bon Chretien Bonnamour
Bonne d’Ezee
Cedar Lane Farm 1
Charles Escaig
Coloree de Juillet
Columbia
Comtesse Clara Frujs
Comtesse de Paris
Coscia
Dearborn
Doyenne dAlecon
Doyenne de Juillet
Doyenne de Saumur
Doyenne d’Hiver
Duchesse d’Angoulême
Duchesse de Berry dEte
Epine de Mai
Fowler Pear
General Galliene
Howell - Sport
Jalovcovka
K-3282
Lawrence
Lawson
Lehoux Grignon
Lincoln
Marie Louise
Maxine
Mitchell
Monchallard
Rocha
Rutter
Saint Andre
Saint Ghislain
Sanguinole
Seckel
Sugar Top
Summer Muskatel Birne
Tamiioase de Calinesti
Tedrow Beauty
Toulouska pozdni
Urbaniste
Warner
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This is interesting. Pick the most important European pears in the world. Trace their parentage.
Abate Fetel - White Doyenne → Duchesse d’Angouleme → Beurre Clairgeau → Abate Fetel
Anjou - White Doyenne seedling
Bartlett - White Doyenne seedling
Bosc - This one is not directly related.
Clapp’s Favorite - White Doyenne → Bartlett → Clapp’s Favorite
Comice - White Doyenne → Duchesse d’Angouleme → Doyenne du Comice
Concorde - White Doyenne → Duchesse d’Angouleme → Doyenne du Comice → Concorde
Conference - This one is not directly related.
Kieffer - White Doyenne → Bartlett → Kieffer
Passe Crassane - White Doyenne → Doyenne d’Hiver → Passe Crassane
Seckel - White Doyenne seedling
Just based on some speculation, it looks like 50% of the best of the best European pear genome growing today is derived from White Doyenne.
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