Comprette
PearComprette
Origin/History
A Flemish seedling (Downing; Hedrick). Elliott and Thomas note it as "Foreign" / "Flemish." Hedrick records that it was exhibited by M. P. Wilder, President of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, at the Society's meeting in 1844. Early citations include The Horticulturist 2:174 (1847), Downing's Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1869 ed., p. 726), and Hogg's Fruit Manual (1884, p. 552). Downing characterizes it as "a Flemish seedling of little value," and Hedrick concludes it is "not of high merit."
Tree
Not described in source.
Fruit
Size
Small (Downing, Thomas, Hedrick). Elliott describes it as medium.
Form
Obtuse pyriform (all sources agree).
Stem
Not described in source.
Cavity
Not described in source.
Calyx
Not described in source.
Basin
Not described in source.
Skin
Yellowish-green (Elliott, Downing, Thomas). Hedrick describes the skin as smooth, greenish-yellow becoming lemon-yellow, strewed with patches and dots of russet.
Flesh/Flavor
Flesh white, buttery (Downing, Hedrick). Hedrick adds that it is melting and juicy. Downing describes the juice as sugary and perfumed; Thomas calls the fruit buttery, rich, and perfumed; Hedrick characterizes the flavor as sweet. Hedrick and Downing both judge it not of high merit / of little value.
Core/Seeds
Not described in source.
Season
October, November (Elliott, Downing). Thomas gives October. Hedrick gives November.
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
View original book sources (4)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)COMFRETTE.
Foreign. Medium, obtuse pyriform, yellowish green. October, November.
[Additional entry in this volume: "Comprette", pp. 425–425]
Comfrette.
Foreign. Medium, obtuse pyriform, yellowish green. October, November.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Comprette.
A Flemish seedling of little value. Fruit small, obtuse pyriform. Skin yellowish green. Flesh white, buttery, with a sugary perfumed juice. October, November.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Comprette. Small, obtuse pyriform, yellowish-green; buttery, rich, perfumed. October. Flemish.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Comprette. 1. Horticulturist 2:174. 1847. 2. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 726. 1869. 3. Hogg Fruit Man. 552. 1884. A Flemish seedling. It was exhibited by M. P. Wilder, President of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society at the Society's meeting in 1844. Fruit small, obtuse-pyriform, smooth, greenish-yellow, becoming lemon-yellow, strewed with patches and dots of russet; flesh white, buttery, melting, juicy, sweet; not of high merit; Nov.