De Pretre
PearDe Pretre
Origin / History
A very old French pear, first mentioned by the pomologist Le Lectier of Orléans. For a long while it was known under the names Caillout, Caillolet, and Caillot d'Hiver. Le Lectier cultivated it in 1600 and cataloged it in 1628. In 1858 Decaisne coupled it with the ancient name Carmelite.
Tree
Not described in source.
Fruit
Size: Fruit below medium.
Form: Spherical, but sometimes a little elongated and narrowed toward the upper part.
Stem: Not described in source.
Cavity: Not described in source.
Calyx: Not described in source.
Basin: Not described in source.
Skin: Skin rather thick. Clear brown-russet ground color.
Dots: Dotted all over on the side exposed to the sun with whitish points. On the other side, the points are ash-gray.
Flesh and flavor: Flesh white, semi-fine, breaking, and gritty at center. Juice moderate in amount, saccharine, acidulous, more or less musky. Second or third for dessert, first for compotes.
Core and seeds: Not described in source.
Season
January to March.
Uses
Second or third for dessert, first for compotes.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Cited in Duhamel, Traité des Arbres Fruitiers, 2:190 (1768); Magasin d'Horticulture, 9:131 (1843); and Leroy, Dictionnaire de Pomologie, 2:550, fig. (1869).
Book Sources
Described in 1 period pomological work
View original book sources (1)
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)De Pretre.
- Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. 2:190. 1768.
- Mag. Hort. 9:131. 1843.
- Leroy Diet. Pom. 2:550, fig. 1869.
A very old French pear just mentioned by the pomologist Le Lectier of Orléans and for a long while known under the names of Caillout, Caillolet and Caillot d'Hiver. Le Lectier cultivated it in 1600 and cataloged it in 1628. In 1858 Decaisne coupled with it the ancient name of Carmelite. Fruit below medium, spherical but sometimes a little elongated and narrowed toward the upper part; skin rather thick, clear brown-russet dotted all over on the side exposed to the sun with whitish points, but with ash-gray points on the other side; flesh white, semi-fine, breaking, gritty at center; juice moderate in amount, saccharine, acidulous, more or less musky; second or third for dessert, first for compotes; Jan. to Mar.