Chair-a-Dame
PearChair-a-Dame
Origin and History
Le Lectier possessed two distinct strains in his garden at Orleans at the beginning of the seventeenth century. One he called Chere-a-Dame tres-hastine; the other, Chere-a-Dame. The first strain ripens very early; the second ripens much later.
Tree
Not described in source.
Fruit
Size and Form: Medium or less; oblong-pyriform, bossed, fairly regular.
Skin: Thin, bright yellow-green, very finely dotted with gray-russet, extensively carmined on the side next the sun.
Flesh and Flavor: White, semi-fine, breaking or semi-melting, watery, gritty at center. Juice abundant, saccharine, vinous, rarely very aromatic, sometimes slightly acid.
Quality: Second.
Stem, Cavity, Calyx, Basin, Core, and Seeds: Not described in source.
Season
August and September.
Subtypes and Variants
Chere-a-Dame tres-hastine — Very early ripening strain.
Chere-a-Dame — Later ripening strain.
Sources
- Duhamel, Trait. Arb. Fr. 2:156, Pl. XVI. 1768.
- Leroy, Diet. Pom. 1:543, fig. 1867.
Book Sources
Described in 1 period pomological work
View original book sources (1)
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Chair-a-Dame.
- Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. 2:156, Pl. XVI. 1768.
- Leroy Diet. Pom. 1:543, fig. 1867.
Le Lectier possessed in his garden at Orleans at the beginning of the seventeenth century two strains of the Chair-a-Dame. One he called Chere-a-Dame tres-hastine, and the other Chere-a-Dame. The first is very early in its ripening and the second much later. Fruit medium or less, oblong-pyriform, bossed, fairly regular; skin thin, bright yellow-green, very finely dotted with gray-russet and extensively carmined on the side next the sun; flesh white, semi-fine, breaking or semi-melting, watery, gritty at center; juice abundant, saccharine, vinous, rarely very aromatic, sometimes slightly acid; second; Aug. and Sept.