Aurate
Pear
Aurate
Origin and History
An ancient French pear, recorded under the name Muscat de Nancy in Le Lectier's Catalogue de son verger et plant in 1628, and sold in Nancy more than 300 years ago (Hedrick). It was extensively grown in Germany in the valleys of the Rhine and in the plains of Coblenz and Mayence under the names Petit-Muscat rouge, Muscat d'ete, and Goldbirne, among others (Hedrick). Downing notes it as "an old variety."
Tree
A great bearer (Coxe).
Fruit
Size and Form: Small, pyriform (Downing), of regular contour, diminishing towards the stem (Coxe). Hedrick describes the form more precisely as turbinate, ventriculous, and obtuse. The fruit grows in clusters (Hedrick).
Stem: Very long (Coxe).
Skin: Coxe and Downing describe the skin as pale yellowish green, with Coxe noting it is rough in texture. Hedrick's description diverges, characterizing the fruit as dark green at first, dotted with fawn, streaked with brownish-red in the cavity, and washed with rose where exposed to the sun — a more complex coloration not noted by the earlier authorities.
Flesh: Yellowish-white (Hedrick), semi-fine and semi-melting, juicy (Hedrick; confirmed by Downing), generally gritty (Hedrick), saccharine, vinous, and delicately musky (Hedrick). Coxe describes it as highly flavoured, rich, and luscious; Downing concurs: rich, rated Very Good.
Season
Conflicting accounts: Coxe and Downing both place ripening at the end / last of July. Hedrick places it in late August — a full month later. This discrepancy may reflect different climates, different strains grown under local names, or a change in the variety over time.
Uses
Dessert fruit.
Book Sources
Described in 3 period pomological works
View original book sources (3)
— William Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817)
- AURATE.
This is a small pear of a regular form, diminishing towards the stem which is very long ; the skin is rough, of a pale yellowish green ; the flesh is highly flavoured, rich and luscious: it is a great bearer ; ripens about the end of July.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Aurate.
An old variety.
Fruit small, pyriform, pale yellowish green. Flesh juicy, rich Very good. Last of July.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Aurate.
- Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. 2:122, Pl. III. 1768. 2. Dochnahl Fuhr. Obstkunde 2:26. 1856.
This ancient French pear appeared under the name Muscat de Nancy in Le Lectier's Catalogue de son verger et plant in 1628, and was sold in Nancy over 300 years ago. It is extensively grown in Germany in the valleys of the Rhine and in the plains of Coblenz and Mayence under the name of Petit-Muscat rouge, Muscat d'ete, Goldbirne, etc. Fruit small, growing in clusters, turbinate, ventriculous, obtuse, regular in contour, dark green at first, dotted with fawn, streaked with brownish-red in the cavity and washed with rose where exposed to the sun; flesh yellowish-white, semi-fine and semi-melting, juicy, generally gritty, saccharine, vinous, delicately musky; first; late Aug.