Bergamotte d'Automne
PearBergamotte d'Automne
Origin / History
The origin of this pear is disputed among authorities. Benedictus Curtius, a Florentine author writing in 1536, believed it originated at Bergamo in Lombardy. In 1644, the Dutch physician Jean Bodaeus, in his translation of the Historia Plantarum of Theophrastus, argued instead that the Bergamotte came from Asia, imported by the Romans into Italy, and was known to them as the Pirum Regium — the pear of Kings. If Asian in origin, the likely birthplace was Pergamum, a village of Asia Minor situated between the Ægean and Marmora seas; this view was endorsed in the eighteenth century by authorities including Lacour, Henri Manger, and Manage, and later by Leroy. Bunyard regards this variety as of great antiquity, going back to the Middle Ages and quite possibly to Roman times, and considers it probably the original Bergamotte. It is now seldom met with in England.
Tree
Growth is very vigorous; fertility is excellent. Leaves are long-oval, undulating, entire, and hang downward. (Hedrick gives no tree description.)
Fruit
Size and Form: Medium. Dimensions approximately 2½ inches high by 2 inches wide (Bunyard). Shape flattened round and even; Hedrick describes it as variable but usually globular-oblate — consistent with a flattened round form.
Stem: Slender, set in a small cavity.
Cavity: Small.
Calyx / Eye: Small, open.
Basin: Broad.
Skin: Hedrick describes the ground color as greenish-yellow, dotted and striped with russet. Bunyard agrees on the yellowish-green ground with russet dots and stripes, and additionally notes a slight red flush and a somewhat rough surface texture.
Flesh / Flavor: Whitish to white (both sources agree). Melting and juicy. Hedrick characterizes the flesh as fine but generally gritty, and the flavor as sweet and savory; he rates it first quality. Bunyard describes the flavor as pleasantly flavoured.
Core / Seeds: Not described in source.
Season
October to January (Hedrick); October to December (Bunyard).
Uses
Dessert (Bunyard). Rated first quality by Hedrick.
Subtypes / Variants
The Bergamotte d'Automne is distinguished from the English Bergamotte principally by its later season. The German name Roter Bergamotte (Red Bergamotte) appears in both sources, reflecting the slight red flush noted by Bunyard.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 2 period pomological works
View original book sources (2)
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Bergamotte d'Automne.
- Duhamel. Trait. Arb. Fr. 2:165, Pl. XXI. 1768. 2. Leroy Diet. Pom. 1:223, fig. 1867. Rote Bergamotte. 3. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 271. 1889.
Authorities fail to agree on the origin of this pear. Benedictus Curtius, a Florentine author writing in 1536, thought it had birth at Bergamo in Lombardy. But in 1644, Jean Bodaeus, a Dutch physician, in his translation of the Historic. Plantarum of Theophrastus, states that the Bergamote came from Asia, whence the Romans had imported it to Italy and that it was known to them as the Pirum Regium or pear of Kings. If it originated in Asia, the probability is that its birth-place was Pergamum, a village of Asia Minor between the Ægean and Marmora seas. This view was accepted in the eighteenth century by such authorities as Lacour, Henri Manger and Manage, and later by Leroy.
Fruit medium; variable but usually globular-oblate, greenish-yellow, dotted and striped with russet, flesh whitish, fine, melting, generally gritty, sweet, savory; first; Oct. to Jan.
— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)BERGAMOTTE D'AUTOMNE. Verger III., 41. G. Roter Bergamotte. Dessert, October to December, medium, 2½ by 2, flattened round, even. Skin, a little rough. Colour, yellowish green dotted and striped with russet and a little red flush. Flesh, white, melting, juicy, pleasantly flavoured. Eye, small, open in a broad basin. Stem, slender in a small cavity. Growth, very vigorous; fertility, excellent. Leaf, long oval, undulating, entire, down hanging. Origin, this is of great antiquity going back to the middle ages and quite possibly to Roman times and is probably the original Bergamotte. This is now seldom met with in England but can be easily distinguished from the English Bergamotte by its later season.