Bon Chretien D'Espagne
Pear
Bon Chretien D'Espagne
Origin/History
A very old variety of ancient and uncertain origin. Merlet described it in 1675, and La Quintinye described it in 1692 (Hedrick). It was well known historically; Messrs. Simon-Louis of Metz, Lorraine, gave it some forty synonyms in their 1895 catalog (Hedrick). Downing characterizes it simply as "a very old variety."
Tree
A good bearer (Downing). Other tree characteristics not described in sources.
Fruit
Size and Form: Large, pyriform (Downing, Thomas, Hedrick). Coxe describes it as "very large and long, gradually lessening towards the stem, a little curved and truncated about the foot of the stalk." Hedrick describes it as "very ventriculous in its lower half where it is more or less bossed, the upper part narrows to an obtuse end."
Stem: Large and very long (Coxe). Not otherwise described.
Cavity: Not described in source.
Calyx/Eye: The eye is small (Coxe).
Basin: The eye is "planted in a deep and wide hollow, bordered with ridges which extend towards the middle of the fruit" (Coxe).
Skin: Sources agree the skin is yellow with red coloring on the sun-exposed side and is marked with dots/specks. Specifics vary:
- Coxe: "spotted with dots, of a brown colour, of a fine lively red towards the sun, with a pale yellow on the shady side when ripe."
- Downing: "at maturity deep yellow, with a brilliant red cheek, and dotted with reddish brown specks."
- Thomas: "deep yellow and red."
- Hedrick: "thick, greenish-yellow changing to yellow, dotted and marked with fawn-russet, and highly colored with vivid red on the side exposed to the sun."
Flesh/Flavor: Flesh is white (Coxe, Downing, Hedrick). Texture descriptions vary by source and context:
- Coxe: "blended with grains of green, dry and hard, or breaking and tender, according to the season and soil." Juice "mild and sweet when growing on a favourable soil, and well exposed."
- Downing: "crisp, or half breaking, good for cooking."
- Thomas: "half breaking — cooking."
- Hedrick: "coarse, breaking, juicy, with a pleasant, brisk flavor and musky aroma."
Core/Seeds: Not described in source.
Season
- Coxe: ripens in November and December.
- Downing: December to January.
- Hedrick: November, January, and even March.
Uses
Highly valued for cooking (Downing); "third for the table, first for the kitchen" (Hedrick); "cooking" (Thomas). Coxe notes that on favorable soil and with good exposure, the juice becomes mild and sweet, suggesting it can also be eaten when well grown.
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Coxe's primary entry (No. 62, pages 339–340) was unreadable due to ink bleed-through from adjacent engraved plate pages; only the plate caption "No. 62. Bon Chretien D'Espagne" on page 338 was legible. The descriptive text attributed to Coxe above comes from a second entry titled "BON CHRETIEN D'ESPAGNE, OR GOOD CHRISTIAN OF SPAIN" appearing on page 342 of the same volume. Hedrick's earliest cited reference is Duhamel, Traité des Arbres Fruitiers 2:216, Pl. 46 (1768).
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
- Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817) — listed as No. 62. Bon Chretien D'Espagne
- Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921) — listed as Bon-Chrétien d'Espagne
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900) — listed as Spanish Bon Chrétien
- Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903) — listed as Spanish Bon Chrétien
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 (4)
— William Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817)[Text unreadable — pages 339–340 are the reverse sides of engraved plate pages; heavy ink bleed-through from the illustrations on pages 338 and 341 obscures the text entirely. Only the plate caption 'No. 62. Bon Chretien D'Espagne' on page 338 is legible.]
[Additional entry in this volume: "BON CHRETIEN D'ESPAGNE, OR GOOD CHRISTIAN OF SPAIN", pp. 342–342]
- BON CHRETIEN D'ESPAGNE, OR GOOD CHRISTIAN OF SPAIN.
This pear is very large and long, gradually lessening towards the stem, a little curved and truncated about the foot of the stalk, which is large and very long—the eye is small, and planted in a deep and wide hollow, bordered with ridges which extend towards the middle of the fruit; the skin is spotted with dots, of a brown colour, of a fine lively red towards the sun, with a pale yellow on the shady side when ripe; the flesh is white, blended with grains of green, dry and hard, or breaking and tender, according to the season and soil—the juice is mild and sweet when growing on a favourable soil, and well exposed; it ripens in November and December.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)SPANISH BON CHRÉTIEN.
Bon Chrétien d'Espagne. Bon Chrétien doré d'Espagne. Spina. Van Dyck. De Janvry. Compagnie d'Ostende. Bon Chrétien d'Automne. Janvry. Gratiole d'Automne. Grosse Grande Bretagne dorée. Président d'Espagne. Vermillon d'Espagne d'Hiver. Safran d'Automne. Gracioli de la Toussaint. Safran rosat d'Automne. Vandyck. Bon Chrétien Jaune d'Automne. Good Christian of Spain. Blanche. Spanish Warden. Grosse Grande Bretagne. Autumn Bon Chrétien. Bon Chrétien Spina.
A very old variety. Tree a good bearer, and the fruit highly valued for cooking.
Fruit large, pyriform. Skin at maturity deep yellow, with a brilliant red cheek, and dotted with reddish brown specks. Flesh white, crisp, or half breaking, good for cooking. December to January.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Bon Chrétien, Spanish. Large, pyriform, deep yellow and red; half breaking—cooking.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Bon-Chrétien d'Espagne.
- Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. 2:216, Pl. 46. 1768. 2. Mas Le Verger 1:131, fig. 64. 1866-73. Spanish Warden. 3. Hogg Fruit Man. 648. 1884.
The origin of Bon-Chrétien d'Espagne or Spanish Warden is ancient and uncertain. Merlet described it in 1675, and so did La Quintinye, in 1692. It was well known; for Messrs. Simon-Louis of Metz, Lorraine, gave it some forty synonyms in their 1895 catalog. Fruit large, pyriform, very ventriculous in its lower half where it is more or less bossed, the upper part narrows to an obtuse end; skin thick, greenish-yellow changing to yellow, dotted and marked with fawn-russet, and highly colored with vivid red on the side exposed to the sun; flesh white, coarse, breaking, juicy, with a pleasant, brisk flavor and musky aroma; third for the table, first for the kitchen; Nov., Jan. and even Mar.