Claire
PearClaire
Origin/History
Claire is one of Van Mons' seedlings (Downing), of Belgian origin (Thomas). Elliott lists it among foreign varieties.
Tree
Not described in source.
Fruit
Size and Form
Medium in size, oval pyriform in shape.
Stem
Not described in source.
Cavity
Not described in source.
Calyx
Not described in source.
Basin
Not described in source.
Skin
Clear yellow, dotted with red (Downing). Elliott describes the color simply as yellow with red.
Flesh and Flavor
Flesh white, melting, very juicy, and sweet, relieved by a slight acid (Downing). Thomas similarly records it as melting, juicy, sweet, and faintly acid. Downing rates the quality as "hardly good."
Core and Seeds
Not described in source.
Season
September and October (Downing). Elliott gives October alone.
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Elliott lists the variety under the name "Clara" with "Claire" as the alternate form. Thomas likewise heads his entry "Clara." Downing carries both headings — "Claire" as the primary entry with full description, and "Clara" as a cross-reference entry in the same volume.
Book Sources
Described in 3 period pomological works
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)
- Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865) — listed as Clara
- Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903) — listed as Clara
View original book sources (3)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Clara. Claire. Foreign. Medium, oval pyriform, yellow, with red. October.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Claire.
One of Van Mons' seedlings. It is of medium size, oval pyriform. Skin clear yellow, dotted with red. Flesh white, melting, very juicy, and sweet, relieved by a slight acid. Hardly good. September and October.
[Additional entry in this volume: "Clara", pp. 743–743]
Clara.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Clara. Medium, oval, pyriform, yellow, dotted red; melting, juicy, sweet, faintly acid. Belgian.