Colmar d'Arenberg

Origin / History

Colmar d'Arenberg is a pear attributed to Van Mons. Hedrick says it is thought to have originated in 1821. Hovey wrote under the spelling "Colmar d'Aremberg" and drew on M. Bivort, who figured it in his Album under the name Kartoffel. Bivort had his information from M. Millot of Nancy. Millot stated that the pear originally came from Van Mons without a name, marked No. 224, which corresponds in Van Mons's printed Catalogue of 1825 to the Kartoffel birne. Hence, Bivort observes, it has been called one of Van Mons's seedlings, "notwithstanding its name indicates a German origin." Elliott calls it foreign, and Downing calls it "a large Belgian Pear." It was introduced to American collections in 1845 and, Hovey believed, first fruited in 1847.

Hovey called it "one of the few pears whose reputation does not seem to be fully established." He found its character variable, "sometimes excellent, and again of only medium quality," and said more experience was wanting to test its real merits. Having seen it under various conditions of soil, locality, and exposure, he judged it "a variety well worthy of cultivation." When well grown and properly ripened, he wrote, it so nearly approaches the Passe Colmar that he had known good judges to mistake it for that fine pear.

Tree

Tree distinct in growth, moderately vigorous, very erect and upright in habit, branching off at an acute angle. It makes but few lateral shoots, those very strong and vigorous, and the whole is studded with numerous short, stocky spurs. Annual shoots very stout, downy at the ends.

Wood yellowish brown, stout, short-jointed, dotted with numerous small, roundish russet specks. Old wood grayish olive. Buds small, short, flattened, little diverging. Flower buds of medium size, ovate, angular, pointed, dark shining brown, little shaded with gray.

Leaves large, narrow oval, tapering to the point, thick, flat, deep glossy green, coarsely and deeply serrated. Petioles of medium length, about one and a quarter inches long, stout.

Flowers small; petals small, roundish ovate, cupped; clusters compact.

Succeeds very well upon the quince, requiring good cultivation to produce large specimens (Hovey).

Fruit

Size: Large to very large. Elliott and Thomas call it large, and Hovey and Hedrick call it very large. Hovey describes it as "of the largest size, nearly equal to the Duchess of Angouleme," often weighing eighteen or twenty ounces. His specimen measured about four and a half inches long and three and a half in diameter.

Form: Obovate pyriform, roundish obtuse pyriform, turbinate pyriform, or obtusely pyramidal. The form is rather variable, and the surface is uneven, bossed in outline (Hedrick). The fruit is largest about the middle, rounding off to the crown and tapering to the stem, near which it is little contracted on one side (Hovey).

Stem: Medium length, about an inch long, stout, slightly swollen at the base, obliquely inserted (Hovey).

Cavity: Slight, with a high projection on one side (Hovey).

Calyx: Eye of medium size, open. Segments of the calyx very short and rounded (Hovey).

Basin: Large, funnel-shaped, somewhat angular, with the eye very deeply sunk (Hovey).

Skin: Fair, slightly rough (Hovey). Pale green to greenish yellow, becoming yellowish to yellow at maturity, traced and netted with russet around the crown and stem. Hedrick describes it as yellow-ochre on the shaded side and russeted on the exposed face.

Dots: Thickly covered with conspicuous reddish russet specks (Hovey). Downing notes dots with the russet nettings.

Flesh and flavor: Flesh yellowish white to whitish, juicy, sweet. Flavor rich, sugary, perfumed, vinous, slightly aromatic. On texture the sources part: Hovey calls the flesh fine, melting, and half buttery, while Downing calls it half fine and granulous and Hedrick semi-melting. On quality, Hovey calls the flavor "excellent" and Downing rates it "Good," but Thomas gives "quality poor" and Hedrick calls it "a handsome but coarse pear."

Core and seeds: Core large. Seeds large, broad, dark brown (Hovey).

Season

The recorded season runs from October through December. Most authors give November, or November and December. Elliott and Hedrick begin it in October, Elliott running into November.

Uses

Downing values it mainly for its size and for cooking.

Subtypes / Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Hovey cites the Magazine of Horticulture, vol. xiv, p. 110. Hedrick cites Ann. Pom. Belge 3:3, fig., 1855, and Leroy Dict. Pom. 1:575, fig., 1867.