CHRISTMAS PEARMAIN
AppleChristmas Pearmain
Origin/History
A seedling raised by Mr. Manser and introduced by Messrs. G. Bunyard & Co. in 1895.
Tree
Growth habit is compact; the tree is extraordinarily fertile. Leaves are rather pale, slightly upfolded, undulated, rather small, and finely serrate.
Fruit
Size and Form Medium size, 2½ by 2 inches, oval and conical with regular form.
Skin Dull yellow with brownish-red flush, slight russet, and faint stripes.
Flesh and Flavor Firm, yellowish flesh, pleasantly flavoured.
Stem Short, seated in a small round cavity.
Calyx/Basin Eye is wide open in a shallow, even basin.
Season
November to December.
Uses
Dessert variety. Valued particularly for small gardens on account of the tree's extraordinary cropping powers.
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 1 period pomological work
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 7 catalogs (1897–1917) from England
- Kelway & Son , Langport, Somerset , England — 1897
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1900
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
- James Veitch & Sons , Ltd., Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, London (also Coombe Wood, Langley, and Feltham) , England — 1911
- Thomas Rivers & Son , Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire , England — 1913
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1914
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1917
View original book sources (1)
— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)CHRISTMAS PEARMAIN. Dessert, November to December, medium, 2½ by 2, oval, conical, regular. Colour, dull yellow with brownish-red flush, slight russet and faint stripes. Flesh, firm, yellowish, pleasantly flavoured. Eye, wide open in a shallow even basin. Stem, short in a small round cavity. Growth, compact; extraordinarily fertile. Leaf, rather pale, slightly upfolded, undulated, rather small, finely serrate. Origin, a seedling raised by Mr. Manser, and introduced by Messrs. G. Bunyard & Co., in 1895. This fruit is valuable for small gardens on account of its tree cropping powers.