Autumn Colmar
PearAutumn Colmar
Origin / History
Hedrick calls Autumn Colmar a seedling of Van Mons, described in 1830 in the London Horticultural Society's Garden as a new Flemish pear. It was received there from Van Mons without a name, and so became known in the collection as Autumn Colmar from a fancied resemblance of its flavor to that of the old Colmar. Downing calls it a French pear. Elliott lists it as foreign.
Tree
A good bearer (Downing).
Fruit
Size: Medium. Hedrick alone calls it large.
Form: Oblong pyriform to obtuse-pyriform, a little uneven (Downing), rounded at the base (Hedrick). Thomas's September Autumn Colmar is conic.
Stem: About an inch long, straight (Downing).
Cavity: Small, uneven (Downing).
Calyx: Small, closed (Downing).
Basin: Slight, a little furrowed (Downing).
Skin: Pale green. Hedrick gives lemon-yellow, strewed with patches of russet. Thomas's September Autumn Colmar is greenish yellow.
Dots: Numerous russety specks (Downing). Hedrick also has the fruit strewed with dots of russet.
Flesh and flavor: A little to rather gritty at the core. Downing gives the flesh buttery, with "a rich and agreeable flavor," rates it "Good," and calls the variety "of fair quality." Hedrick gives it coarse, sweet, juicy, astringent, quality "second," and Thomas's September Autumn Colmar is likewise coarse, juicy, astringent.
Core and seeds: Not described in source.
Season
September and October. The pale green pear of Elliott and Downing ripens in October. Hedrick gives September and October. Thomas's coarse, astringent Autumn Colmar ripens in September and rots.
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes / Variants
Thomas separates two pears under the name. The first, also called Colmar d'Été, is his conic, greenish-yellow, coarse, astringent September pear. The second, "Another Autumn Colmar," is medium, pyriform, green, rich, agreeable, ripening in October.
Other
Hedrick cites Lindley, Guide Orch. Gard. 363, 1831; Hogg, Fruit Man. 487, 1884; Mas, Le Verger 3: Pt. i, 175, fig. 86, 1866–73; and Leroy, Dict. Pom. 1:184, fig., 1867.
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 1 catalog (1849) from Massachusetts
- Hovey & Co. , Cambridge , Massachusetts — 1849
View original book sources (4)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Autumn Colmar.
Foreign. Medium, oblong pyriform, pale green. October.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Autumn Colmar.
A French Pear, of fair quality and a good bearer.
Fruit of medium size, oblong or obtuse pyriform, a little uneven. Skin pale green, dotted with numerous russety specks. Stalk about an inch long, straight, planted in a small, uneven cavity. Calyx small, closed, set in a slight basin, a little furrowed. Flesh a little gritty at the core, buttery, with a rich and agreeable flavor. Good. October.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Autumn Colmar, or Colmar d'Été. Conic, greenish-yellow; coarse; juicy, astringent; rots. September. [Another Autumn Colmar is medium, pyriform, green; rich, agreeable. October.]
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Autumn Colmar.
- Lindley Guide Orch. Card. 363. 1831. 2. Hogg Fruit Man. 487. 1884. De Bavay. 3. Mas Le Verger 3: Pt. i, 175, fig. 86. 1866-73. 4. Leroy Dict. Pom. 1:184, fig. 1867.
This seedling of Van Mons was described in 1830 in the London Horticultural Society's Garden as a new Flemish pear. It was received there from Van Mons without a name and so became known in the collection as Autumn Colmar from a fancied resemblance of its flavor to that of the old Colmar. Fruit large, obtuse-pyriform, rounded at the base, lemon-yellow, strewed with dots and patches of russet; flesh coarse, sweet, juicy, astringent, rather gritty at the core; second; Sept. and Oct.