Beurré Capiaumont
PearBeurré Capiaumont
Origin / History
A Flemish pear. Thomas calls it Belgian, and Elliott gives it simply as "Foreign." Bunyard says it was raised by M. Capiaumont, a chemist at Mons, Belgium, from a seed of Beurré Gris, and that it first fruited in 1787. Hedrick has it raised from seed by M. Capiaumont at Mons in 1787. Handsome: Downing calls it "very fair and handsomely formed." Planted in spring 1893 at the Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz, British Columbia.
Tree
A free to vigorous grower; Bunyard alone gives growth as moderate. The Agassiz station reports it vigorous there. Branches a little pendent, grayish yellow (Downing). Profitable on Pear or Quince (Elliott). Hardy; Downing calls it hardy in all soils and seasons. Productive, a capital bearer, fertility good. When the tree is heavily laden, the fruit is apt to be slightly astringent (Downing). Leaves folded and recurved. Bunyard describes them as large, long oval, upfolded, sharply but shallowly serrate, and down-hanging.
Fruit
Size: Small to medium; most authors give medium. Bunyard gives small to medium, 2½ by 3½.
Form: Pyriform to long turbinate, conic-pyriform or oval conical, quite acute, very even and regular, tapering regularly into the stalk. Thomas likens the shape to the Tyson, and Elliott calls it globular, acute pyriform. Hedrick alone gives an obtuse form, long-obtuse-pyriform.
Stem: Curved, about an inch long but varying, from three-fourths of an inch to an inch and a half. Bunyard calls it quite short, thick and fleshy, generally placed obliquely.
Cavity: Not described in source.
Calyx: Large, with spreading, widely reflexed segments, prominently placed. Open (Bunyard).
Basin: Calyx not at all sunk, set in a very shallow basin or on the surface.
Skin: Smooth, clear yellow, with a light cinnamon-red or reddish cheek to the sun, slightly russeted. Bunyard gives the skin as rough, brownish red, almost covered with fine russet and a red flush. He says that on dry soils it often attains a wonderful color, justifying the name "Aurore."
Dots: Small russet dots and streaks of russet, few in Downing's account; Thomas calls the fruit distinctly dotted. Hedrick describes it as strewed with specks and markings of fawn.
Flesh and flavor: Flesh white, fine-grained, buttery, melting. Hedrick notes greenish filaments in the flesh, and Bunyard calls it pale yellow. Juice moderate to abundant. Flavor sweet, aromatic, "sweet and perfumed" (Bunyard), and "when not astringent, of high flavor" (Downing). Slightly or a little astringent; Thomas says often astringent.
Quality runs from "about second quality" (Thomas) to "first quality" (Hedrick), with Elliott at "very good." Downing calls it "sometimes first-rate," and Bunyard "an excellent fruit in some seasons."
Core and seeds: Not described in source.
Season
September and October, about mid-autumn; Hedrick gives October. Bunyard warns that it must be carefully watched or it will decay internally if left in the fruit room too late.
Uses
Dessert and culinary. Bunyard calls it always specially good when cooked. A profitable orchard and market variety (Elliott).
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Bunyard cites Her. Pom. II., 59. Hedrick cites Leroy, Dict. Pom. 1:330, fig., 1867, and Downing, Fr. Trees Am. 682, 1869.
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 5 catalogs (1845–1911) from England, Massachusetts
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845 — listed as Beurré de Capiaumont
- Hovey & Co. , Cambridge , Massachusetts — 1849 — listed as Beurré de Capiaumont
- Joseph Breck & Co. , Boston , Massachusetts — 1855
- 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 (6)
— 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.
— 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.
— 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.
— 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.
— Central Experimental Farm, Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz BC — Catalogue of Fruit Trees under Test (Bulletin No. 3, 1900) (1900)Planted Spring 1893. Tree a vigorous grower. Fruit of medium size, pyriform. Skin yellow with a reddish cheek. Flesh fine grained, buttery, slightly astringent. Season September and October.