Beurré Capiaumont
Pear
Beurré Capiaumont
Origin / History
A Flemish (Belgian) pear, raised from seed by M. Capiaumont, a chemist at Mons, Belgium. Bunyard specifies it was grown from a seed of Beurré Gris. Hedrick dates the raising of the seedling to 1787; Bunyard states it first fruited in 1787. Downing classes it as a Flemish pear; Elliott records it simply as "Foreign"; Thomas calls it "Belgian." Hedrick cites Leroy's Dictionnaire de Pomologie (1:330, with figure, 1867) and Downing's Fruit Trees of America (p. 682, 1869); Bunyard cites the Herefordshire Pomona (II, 59). On dry soils it often attains a remarkable color, justifying its synonym "Aurore."
Tree
A free, vigorous grower (Downing: "grows freely"; Elliott: "a free grower"). Bunyard rates growth as moderate. Branches are a little pendent and grayish yellow (Downing, Elliott). Hardy in all soils and seasons (Downing), and hardy and productive (Thomas). A capital bearer (Downing); fertility good (Bunyard); a profitable orchard and market variety, worked on either Pear or Quince stock (Elliott). Leaves: folded and recurved (Thomas); large, long oval, upfolded, sharply but shallowly serrate, with the foliage down-hanging (Bunyard).
Fruit
Size: Medium (Downing, Hedrick, Elliott, Thomas); Bunyard gives small to medium, 2½ by 3½ inches.
Form: Sources describe the shape variously. Downing: long turbinate, very even, tapering regularly into the stalk. Hedrick: long-obtuse-pyriform. Elliott: globular, acute pyriform. Thomas: conic-pyriform, or Tyson-shaped, quite acute, approaching turbinate, regular. Bunyard: oval conical, even.
Stem: From three-fourths to an inch and a half long, curved (Downing). Elliott: stem curved. Thomas: stalk about an inch long, but varying. Bunyard: quite short, thick and fleshy, generally placed obliquely.
Cavity: Not described in source.
Calyx / Eye: Calyx large (Downing, Elliott; Bunyard: eye large, open). Downing notes spreading segments, prominently placed and not at all sunk. Thomas describes the calyx as widely reflexed and not sunk. Bunyard: open in a very shallow basin or on the surface.
Basin: Very shallow, the eye sitting in it or on the surface (Bunyard); the calyx not sunk (Downing, Thomas).
Skin: Most sources agree the skin is smooth — clear yellow with a light cinnamon-red cheek, and a few small dots and streaks of russet (Downing). Hedrick: clear yellow with a cinnamon-red cheek, strewed with specks and markings of fawn. Elliott: yellow with a cinnamon-red cheek and russet dots and streaks. Thomas: smooth, yellow, with cinnamon red to the sun, distinctly dotted, slightly russeted. Bunyard differs: skin rough, the color brownish red almost covered with fine russet and a red flush.
Flesh / Flavor: Flesh fine-grained, buttery, melting (Downing, Hedrick); white (Hedrick, Thomas); pale yellow (Bunyard). Hedrick notes white flesh with greenish filaments. Juice abundant (Hedrick); moderately juicy (Thomas). The flavor is sweet and, when at its best, of high flavor (Downing) — sweet, aromatic, first quality (Hedrick); sweet with a sweet and perfumed flavor (Bunyard). Several sources note an astringency: Downing reports it is apt to be slightly astringent when the tree is heavily laden, and of high flavor only when not astringent; Elliott calls it buttery and sweet but "a little astringent," rated "very good"; Thomas calls it sweet but "often astringent," rating it about second quality.
Core / Seeds: Not described in source.
Season
September and October (Downing, Elliott, Bunyard); October (Hedrick); ripens about mid-autumn (Thomas).
Uses
Good for dessert and also for the kitchen (Hedrick); culinary or dessert (Bunyard), and always specially good when cooked (Bunyard). A profitable orchard and market variety (Elliott).
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
The fruit is sometimes first-rate but is "an excellent fruit in some seasons" only — its quality varies (Downing, Bunyard). It must be carefully watched or it will decay internally if left in the fruit room too late (Bunyard).
Book Sources
Described in 5 period pomological works
- Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)
- Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900) — listed as Beurré de Capiaumont
- Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865) — listed as Capiaumont
- Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903) — listed as Capiaumont
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 2 catalogs (1900–1911) from England
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900 — listed as Beurré de Capiaumont
- James Veitch & Sons , Ltd., Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, London (also Coombe Wood, Langley, and Feltham) , England — 1911
View original book sources (5)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Beurré de Capiaumont.
Capiumont. Beurré Aurore. Calebasse Vasse. Aurore. De la Glacière.
A Flemish Pear, very fair and handsomely formed, and a capital bearer, hardy in all soils and seasons; sometimes first-rate; but when the tree is heavily laden, it is apt to be slightly astringent. It grows freely. Branches a little pendent, grayish yellow.
Fruit of medium size, long turbinate, very even, and tapering regularly into the stalk. Skin smooth, clear yellow, with a light cinnamon-red cheek, and a few small dots and streaks of russet. Calyx large, with spreading segments prominently placed, and not at all sunk. Stalk from three-fourths to an inch and a half long, curved. Flesh fine-grained, buttery, melting, sweet, and, when not astringent, of high flavor. September and October.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Beurré Capiaumont.
- Leroy Dict. Pom. 1:330, fig. 1867.
- Downing Fr. Trees Am. 682. 1869.
A handsome Flemish pear raised from seed by M. Capiaumont, Mons, Bel., in 1787. Fruit medium, long-obtuse-pyriform, clear yellow, with cinnamon-red cheek and strewed with specks and markings of fawn; flesh white, with greenish filaments, fine-grained, buttery, melting; juice abundant, sweet, aromatic; first quality; good for dessert and also for the kitchen; Oct.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Capiaumont. Beurré Aurore, | Beurré Capiaumont, | Beurré Caloma. Foreign. This is a profitable orchard and market variety, on Pear or Quince. A free grower : branches, grayish yellow. Fruit, medium, globular, acute pyriform, yellow, with cinnamon red cheek, and russet dots and streaks; stem, curved; calyx, large; flesh, buttery, sweet, a little astringent; "very good." September, October.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Capiaumont. (Beurré de Capiaumont.) Size medium, conic-pyriform, or Tyson-shaped, quite acute, approaching turbinate, regular; skin smooth, yellow, with cinnamon red to the sun, distinctly dotted, slightly russeted; calyx widely reflexed, not sunk; stalk about an inch long, but varying; flesh white, buttery, melting, moderately juicy, sweet, often astringent, about second quality. Hardy and productive. Leaves folded, recurved. Ripens about mid-autumn. Belgian.
— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)BEURRE CAPIAUMONT. Her Pom. II., 59. G. Die Capiaumont. (Aurore, Calebasse Vasse.) Culinary or dessert, September to October, small to medium, 2½ by 3½, oval conical, even. Skin, rough. Colour, brownish red almost covered with fine russet and a red flush. Flesh, pale yellow, melting with a sweet and perfumed flavour. Eye, large, open in a very shallow basin or on surface. Stem, quite short, thick and fleshy, generally placed obliquely. Growth, moderate; fertility good. Leaf, large, long oval, upfolded, sharply but shallow serrate, down hanging. Origin, raised by M. Capiaumont a chemist at Mons, Belgium, from a seed of Beurre Gris, and first fruited in 1787. An excellent fruit in some seasons, and always specially good when cooked. On dry soils it often attains a wonderful colour and justifies its synonym "Aurore." It must be carefully watched or it will decay internally if left in the fruit room too late.