Delices de Charles

Delices de Charles (Pear)

Origin / History

Raised in 1826 by Simon Bouvier at Jodoigne, Belgium (Hedrick). Thomas confirms the Belgian origin.

Downing records a complication: he received two distinct pears under this name — one attributed to Van Mons, the other to Bouvier. The two differ substantially in size, form, skin, flesh, and season, and are described separately below under Subtypes/Variants. Hedrick's description and the bibliographic record (Leroy Dict. Pom. 2:10, fig., 1869; Guide Prat. 74, 262, 1876; Downing Fr. Trees Am. 886, 1869) treat the Bouvier origination as authoritative.

Tree

Not described in source.

Fruit

Size

The Bouvier pear (Downing) is above medium in size. Hedrick and Thomas both give medium. The Van Mons pear (Downing) is medium.

Form

Hedrick: turbinate-pyriform, but inconstant in contour. Thomas: pyramidal. The Bouvier pear (Downing): obovate obtuse. The Van Mons pear (Downing): irregular, varying from obovate to obovate pyriform.

Skin

Bouvier pear (Downing): greenish, with traces of russet, sprinkled with brown dots. Hedrick: dark lemon-yellow, dotted with russet. Thomas: yellowish-green. [Conflict between Downing's Bouvier description (greenish) and Hedrick (dark lemon-yellow) on ground color.]

Van Mons pear (Downing): greenish yellow, netted and patched with russet, and sprinkled with russet dots.

Stem

Bouvier pear (Downing): long, curved, set in a rather large cavity. Van Mons pear (Downing): rather long, inclined, set in a slight depression, often with a lip.

Cavity

Bouvier pear (Downing): rather large. Van Mons pear (Downing): slight depression at stem.

Calyx

Van Mons pear (Downing): open. Bouvier pear (Downing) and Hedrick/Thomas: not described.

Basin

Not described in source.

Flesh / Flavor

Bouvier pear (Downing): whitish, buttery; rots at core. Hedrick: white, fine, very melting, buttery, sweet, juicy, vinous, with a delicious tartness; quality good to very good. Thomas: juicy, melting, vinous — likened to Brown Beurré.

Van Mons pear (Downing): yellowish, juicy, melting, vinous, sweet.

[Conflict: Downing's Bouvier pear gives flesh as whitish and notes it rots at core; Hedrick describes the flesh as fine and very melting with no mention of core rot.]

Core / Seeds

Bouvier pear (Downing): rots at core. Otherwise not described in source.

Season

Bouvier pear (Downing): middle of September. Hedrick: October to December. Thomas: December. [Significant conflict between Downing's mid-September and Hedrick's October–December season for the Bouvier-attributed fruit.]

Van Mons pear (Downing): September–October.

Uses

Not described in source.

Subtypes / Variants

Downing explicitly records two pears received under the name Delices de Charles:

The Van Mons pear: Medium in size; irregular in form, varying from obovate to obovate pyriform. Skin greenish yellow, netted and patched with russet, sprinkled with russet dots. Stalk rather long, inclined, set in a slight depression, often with a lip. Calyx open. Flesh yellowish, juicy, melting, vinous, sweet. Season: September–October.

The Bouvier pear: Above medium in size; obovate obtuse. Skin greenish, with traces of russet, sprinkled with brown dots. Stalk long, curved, set in a rather large cavity. Flesh whitish, buttery; rots at core. Season: middle of September.

Hedrick's account, citing Leroy and treating Bouvier's 1826 raising as the true origin, does not acknowledge the Van Mons form.

Other

Not described in source.