Bonne d'Ezée
PearBonne d'Ezée
Origin / History
A wilding found at Ézée in the Touraine, France, by Dupuy about 1788 (Hedrick). Elliott lists Bonne d'Ezée as foreign, and Downing calls it a French pear. Hedrick cites three earlier works. The first is the Annales de Pomologie Belge (5:73, with figure, 1857). The second is Pomologie de la France (1:No. 34, Pl. 34, 1863), where it is entered under the name "Brockworth Park." The third is Hogg's Fruit Manual (535, 1884).
Tree
Short, stocky habit (Elliott); moderately vigorous and productive (Downing). Wood yellowish, the young wood dull yellow brown (Downing).
Fruit
Size: Large, often medium (Hedrick).
Form: Obtuse pyriform, oblong obtuse pyriform in Downing. Hedrick calls it long-ovate-obtuse.
Stem: The sources conflict on length. Elliott gives it as rather short and uneven, while Downing gives it as large, long, and curved.
Cavity: Broad (Downing).
Calyx: Elliott calls it partly closed, with short segments; Downing calls it small and open.
Basin: Narrow, of little depth (Downing).
Skin: Rather thick and oily (Hedrick). Light yellow, light yellowish green, lemon-yellow or golden, with patches and stains of bright russet; somewhat russeted. Elliott alone gives pale red with the light yellow. Thomas says the fruit "often cracks badly."
Dots: Russet, bright russet in Hedrick.
Flesh and flavor: Flesh white, yellowish white in Elliott, very fine (Hedrick), melting, juicy. Hedrick calls the juice "excessively abundant." Flavor sugary, rich, brisk (Downing), acidulous, "having an exquisite aroma" (Hedrick). Quality "very good" (Elliott, Thomas). Downing rates it "good to very good," and Hedrick ranks it "first."
Core and seeds: Core large (Elliott).
Season
September and October. Elliott and Hedrick confine it to September, Hedrick to "all Sept."
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 2 catalogs (1849–1900) from Massachusetts
- Hovey & Co. , Cambridge , Massachusetts — 1849 — listed as Belle des Zees
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
View original book sources (4)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Bonne d'Ezee.
Bon d'Ezee, | Bonne des Haies.
Foreign. Tree of short, stocky habit ; wood, yellowish ; fruit, large, obtuse pyriform, light yellow and pale red, and somewhat russeted ; stem, rather short, uneven ; calyx, partly closed : short segments ; core, large, flesh, yellowish white, melting, juicy, sugary; "very good." September.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Bonne d'Ezee.
Bonne des Haies. Bonne de Longueval. Bonne de Zees. Belle et bonne d'Ezée.
A French Pear. Tree moderately vigorous, productive. Young wood dull yellow brown.
Fruit large, oblong obtuse pyriform. Skin light yellowish green, with russet patches and dots. Stalk large, long, curved, inserted in a broad cavity. Calyx small, open. Basin narrow, of little depth. Flesh white, juicy, melting, sugary, brisk, rich. Good to very good. September and October.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Bonne d'Ezee. Large, pyriform, juicy ; yellowish-green, with some russet; juicy, melting, rich; very good. September, October. Often cracks badly.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Bonne d'Ezée.
i. Ann. Pom. Belge 5:73, fig. 1857. 2. Pom. France 1:No. 34. Pl. 34. 1863. Brockworth Park. 3. Hogg Fruit Man. 535. 1884.
A wilding found at Ézée in the Touraine, Fr., by Dupuy about 1788. Fruit large, often medium, long-ovate-obtuse; skin rather thick, oily, lemon-yellow or golden, dotted and stained with bright russet; flesh white, very fine and melting; juice excessively abundant, sugary, acidulous, having an exquisite aroma; first; all Sept.