Heritage Apple Corps
← All varieties

Beurré De Jonghe

Pear

Beurré De Jonghe

Origin / History

The origins of this variety involve some disagreement among authorities. According to Hedrick (Pears of New York), M. de Jonghe mentioned the pear in a pamphlet on new varieties published in 1865, and it was described in the Magazine of Horticulture in 1857 as a new variety. In Gardener's Chronicle for 1866, M. de Jonghe stated that he first saw this pear in 1852 at Uccle, Belgium, where the seedling had been planted two years before. Hedrick (Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits) similarly states that M. J. de Jonghe found this pear in 1852 at Uccle, Belgium. Bunyard, however, attributes the raising to a different person: he states it was raised by M. Gambier, of Rhode St. Genèse, near Brussels, before 1865, and dedicated to M. de Jonghe, the Belgian pomologist.

Tree

Medium in size and vigor; spreading, slow-growing, hardy, and very productive. Bunyard describes the growth habit as upright, a little spreading, and rather weak in vigor — somewhat in tension with Hedrick's characterization of medium vigor. Both sources agree the tree is fertile and productive.

Trunk slender and shaggy. Branches reddish-brown, overspread with thick scarf-skin. Branchlets thick, curved, and short, with very short internodes; smooth except for the raised, conspicuous lenticels. Leaf-buds small and short; leaf-scars with prominent shoulders.

Flower-buds large, long, very plump, and free.

The variety performs better on quince than on pear stocks, a point affirmed by all three sources. Bunyard notes it makes a moderate tree on the quince. Hedrick remarks that the trees are "not at all self-assertive and must be coddled somewhat," and notes they are slow in coming into bearing.

Fruit

Size and Form

Medium in size. Hedrick (Pears of New York) gives dimensions of 3 in. long by 2¼ in. wide; Hedrick (Cyclopedia) gives 3 in. long by 2½ in. wide; Bunyard gives 2½ by 2½. Shape described by both Hedrick sources as obovate-obtuse-pyriform, very regular. Bunyard describes the form as oval, tapering most toward the stem, and a little uneven — conflicting with Hedrick's "very regular."

Stem

Short, thick, inserted obliquely (Hedrick); short, woody, and continued (Bunyard). All three sources note that the stem is often inserted under or beside a fleshy lip of flesh drawn up on one side of the stem.

Cavity

Very shallow or none; the flesh is often drawn up in a lip on one side of the stem.

Calyx

Small and open. Basin shallow. Bunyard adds that the basin is slightly ribbed.

Skin

Hedrick (Pears of New York) describes it as thin, dull yellow in ground color, thickly overspread with a pale brownish-russet, often with traces of a russet-red blush. Hedrick (Cyclopedia) refines this: the ground color is dull greenish-yellow, becoming yellower at maturity, thickly overspread with pale brownish-russet, often with traces of a russet-red blush. Bunyard describes the color as pale green fading to pale yellow, covered with patches of dull brown russet — in broad agreement on the green-to-yellow progression but characterizing the russet coverage as patches rather than an overall overspread. Bunyard describes the skin texture as "a little rough," while Hedrick notes it as thin.

Dots numerous, small, dull russet (Hedrick; not noted by Bunyard).

Flesh and Flavor

Hedrick (both sources): flesh nearly white, fine-grained, melting, buttery, pleasantly flavored, aromatic, and sweet; quality very good. Bunyard describes the flesh as yellowish, melting, and transparent — conflicting with Hedrick on color — with a pleasant flavor "rather like Marie Louise."

Hedrick is emphatic on the quality distinction: the fruit is wholly free from the astringency found in the after-taste of almost all winter pears, and the flesh is so sweet and rich as to be "nearly as delectable as those of Seckel, the standard of excellence in quality." Bunyard records that Dr. Hogg considered the pear "equal if not superior to Marie Louise," though Bunyard himself writes: "though good I hardly rate it so high."

Core / Seeds

Not described in source.

Season

Ripens December to January. At Geneva (Hedrick), ripe in January. The fruit may be kept for a month or six weeks — a significant attribute, as Hedrick notes it falls "at a season when there are few other sweet, rich pears, the fruits of nearly all other pears of this season being vinous and piquant."

Uses

Dessert (Bunyard). Hedrick considers the variety desirable only for the amateur, given the tree's slowness in coming into bearing and its need for careful attention.

Leaves

Hedrick (Pears of New York): 2½ in. long, 1½ in. wide, thick; apex abruptly pointed; margin glandular, finely serrate; petiole 1½ in. long, reddish-green. Hedrick (Cyclopedia) gives length as 2¾ in. (slightly longer), with all other dimensions and characters the same. Bunyard describes the leaves as medium, oval, nearly flat, held out, and nearly entire — the last detail in mild tension with Hedrick's "finely serrate" margin.

Flowers

Hedrick (Pears of New York): 1½ in. across, 7 or 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels ⅝ in. long, thick. Hedrick (Cyclopedia) gives the flower diameter as 1¼ in. across with 7 or 8 buds in a cluster — the bud count agrees but the flower size differs between the two Hedrick sources.

Book Sources

Described in 3 period pomological works

Nursery Catalog Sources

Found in 6 catalogs (1897–1917) from England

View original book sources (3)

BEURRÉ DE JONGHE

  1. Mag. Hort. 28:258. 1857. 2. Gard. Chron. 147, fig. 1866. 3. Mas Le Verger 1:73, fig. 43. 1866-73. 4. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 683. 1869. 5. Jour. Hort. N. S. 32:408. 1877. 6. Hogg Fruit Man. 522. 1884. 7. Guide Prat. 64, 232. 1895. 8. Garden 49:225. 1896.

De Jonghe's Butterbirne. 9. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 201. 1889.

A prime requisite in any pear of best quality is that there be no disagreeable after-taste in the flesh. The fruits of almost none of the winter pears meet this requirement. Almost all have more or less astringency in the after-taste. But the fruits of this variety are wholly free from this astringency and are, moreover, so sweet and rich that they are nearly as delectable as those of Seckel, the standard of excellence in quality. The pears ripen at Geneva in January and may be kept for a month or six weeks at a season when there are few other sweet, rich pears, the fruits of nearly all other pears of this season being vinous and piquant. The trees are hardy and productive, but are slow in coming in bearing, rather small, and not at all self-assertive and must be coddled somewhat. They are reported by many to do better on quince than on pear stocks. The variety is desirable only for the amateur.

According to Mas, the French pomologist, M. de Jonghe mentioned this pear in a pamphlet on new varieties published in 1865. It was described in the Magazine of Horticulture in 1857 as a new variety. In Gardener's Chronicle, 1866, M. de Jonghe said that he saw this pear first in 1852 at Uccle, Belgium. The seedling had been planted there two years before.

Tree medium in size and vigor, spreading, slow-growing, hardy, very productive; trunk slender, shaggy; branches reddish-brown overspread with thick scarf-skin; branchlets thick, curved, short, with very short internodes, smooth except for the raised, conspicuous lenticels. Leaf-buds small, short; leaf-scars with prominent shoulders. Leaves 2½ in. long, 1½ in. wide, thick; apex abruptly pointed; margin glandular, finely serrate; petiole 1½ in. long, reddish-green. Flower-buds large, long, very plump, free; flowers 1½ in. across, 7 or 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels ⅝ in. long, thick.

Fruit ripe December to January; medium in size, 3 in. long, 2¼ in. wide, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, very regular; stem short, thick, inserted obliquely; cavity very shallow or none, the flesh often drawn up in a lip on one side of the stem; calyx small, open; basin shallow; skin thin; color dull yellow, thickly overspread with a pale, brownish-russet, often with traces of a russet-red blush; dots numerous, small, dull russet; flesh nearly white, fine-grained, melting, buttery, pleasant flavored, aromatic, sweet; quality very good.

— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)

BEURRE DE JONGHE. Le Verger, I., 43. G. Jonghes Butterbirne. Dessert, December to January, medium, 2½ by 2½, oval tapering most to stem, a little uneven. Skin, a little rough. Colour, pale green fading to pale yellow, covered with patches of dull brown russet. Flesh, yellowish, melting, transparent, with pleasant flavour rather like Marie Louise. Eye, open in a shallow slightly ribbed basin. Stem, short, woody, continued, often inserted under a fleshy lip. Growth upright, a little spreading and rather weak; fertility good. Leaf, medium, oval, nearly flat, held out, nearly entire. Origin, raised by M. Gambier, of Rhode St. Genèse, near Brussels, before 1865, and dedicated to M. de Jonghe, the Belgian pomologist. It makes a moderate tree on the quince. Dr. Hogg considered this pear as "equal if not superior to Marie Louise," but though good I hardly rate it so high.

— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)

BEURRÉ DE JONGHE. A prime requisite in any pear of best quality is that there be no disagreeable aftertaste in the flesh. The fruits of almost none of the winter pears meet this requirement, but those of this variety are wholly free from this astringency and are, moreover, sweet, rich, and delectable. The pears ripen in January and may be kept for a month or six weeks at a season when there are few other sweet, rich pears, the fruits of nearly all other pears at this season being vinous and piquant. The trees are hardy and productive, but are slow in coming in bearing, rather small, not at all self-assertive, and must be coddled somewhat. They do better on quince than on pear stocks. The variety is desirable only for the amateur. M. J. de Jonghe found this pear in 1852 at Uccle, Belgium.

Tree medium in size and vigor, spreading, slow-growing, hardy, very productive; trunk slender, shaggy; branches reddish-brown. Leaves 2¾ inches long, 1½ inches wide, thick; apex abruptly pointed; margin glandular, finely serrate; petiole 1½ inches long, reddish-green. Flowers 1¼ inches across, 7 or 8 buds in a cluster. Fruit ripens December-January; medium in size, 3 inches long, 2½ inches wide, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, very regular; stem short, thick, inserted obliquely; cavity very shallow or none, the flesh often drawn up in a lip on one side of the stem; calyx small, open; basin shallow; skin thin; color dull greenish-yellow becoming yellower at maturity, thickly overspread with a pale, brownish-russet, often with traces of a russet-red blush; dots numerous, small, dull russet; flesh nearly white, fine-grained, melting, buttery, pleasantly flavored, aromatic, sweet; quality very good.

— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)
De Jonghe's Butterbirne Jonghes Butterbirne