Beurré Benoist
PearBeurré Benoist
Origin/History
Found on a farm at Brissac, France, and propagated by Auguste Benoist about the middle of the nineteenth century (Hedrick).
Tree
Tree vigor is reported differently by the sources: Downing describes it as moderately vigorous and spreading; Elliott describes it as not vigorous. All sources agree the tree is very productive. Young wood reddish, with sharp spur-like buds (Downing).
Fruit
Size and Form: Sources disagree on size. Downing and Elliott describe the fruit as medium; Hedrick describes it as large. Form is described as roundish inclining to acute pyriform (Downing), obovate (Elliott), or obovate-obtuse-pyriform (Hedrick).
Stem: Of moderate length. Sources disagree on the insertion: Downing describes the stalk as inserted by a fleshy ring or lip; Elliott describes it as inserted in a cavity.
Calyx: Open, in a regular basin (Downing, Elliott).
Basin: Regular (Downing, Elliott).
Skin: Sources describe the ground color differently at different stages. Elliott gives the color as bright green; Downing gives it as yellow; Hedrick describes it as pale yellow-green, strewed with dots and patches of pale brown-russet, the fundamental yellow-green passing on ripening to bright yellow. All sources agree the surface is spotted and shaded with brown russet. The side well exposed to the sun is described as a red cheek (Downing) or tinted with orange-red (Hedrick).
Flesh and Flavor: Flesh white, fine-grained (Hedrick), melting (all sources), and very juicy (all sources). Sources disagree on sweetness: Downing and Elliott describe the juice as sugary and well perfumed; Hedrick describes the flesh as acidulous and very juicy, perfumed with a distinct Seckel aroma. Quality rated very good (Downing) or first quality (Hedrick).
Core/Seeds: Not described in sources.
Season
Ripens end of September (Downing, Elliott); September (Hedrick).
Uses
Not described in sources.
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in sources.
Other
Not described in sources.
Book Sources
Described in 3 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 1 catalog (1900)
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
View original book sources (3)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Beurré Benoist.
Beurre Auguste Benoit. Benoist. Beurre Benoist Nouveau.
Tree moderately vigorous, spreading, very productive. Young wood reddish, with sharp spur-like buds.
Fruit medium, roundish inclining to acute pyriform. Skin yellow, spotted and shaded with brown russet, red cheek in sun. Stalk of moderate length, inserted by a fleshy ring or lip. Calyx open, in a regular basin. Flesh white, fine, melting, juice abundant, sugary, and well perfumed. Very good. Ripe end of September.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Beurré Benoist.
- Elliott Fr. Book 360. 1859. 2. Mas Le Verger a:Pt. i, 35, fig. 16. 1866-73. 3. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 674. 1869.
Found on a farm at Brissac, Fr., and propagated by Auguste Benoist about the middle of the last century.
Fruit large, obovate-obtuse-pyriform; skin pale yellow-green strewed with dots and patches of pale brown-russet, the fundamental yellow-green passing, on ripening to bright yellow and the side well exposed to the sun often being tinted with orange-red; flesh white, fine-grained, melting, acidulous and very juicy, perfumed with a distinct Seckel aroma; first; Sept.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Beurre Benoist. Beurre Auguste Benoit, | Benoits. Foreign. Tree, not vigorous, but very productive. Fruit, medium, obovate ; skin, bright green, spotted and shaded with brown russet ; stalk, of moderate length, inserted in a cavity ; calyx, open, in a regular basin ; flesh, white, fine, melting, juice abundant, sugary, and well perfumed. Ripe, end of September.