Docteur Capron

Docteur Capron

Origin and History

Obtained by Van Mons in 1842 as one of his seedlings. Cited in Leroy's Dictionnaire de Pomologie (2:34, fig., 1869) and the Guide Pratique (pp. 62, 255, 1895).

Fruit

Size and Form: Medium to rather large (Downing gives medium; Hedrick gives medium or rather large), regular, ovate pyriform (Downing) or simply ovate (Hedrick).

Skin: Pale yellow to lemon-yellow, turning a little brownish in the sun. Downing describes nettings, patches, and dots of russet; Hedrick does not mention russet, describing the fruit simply as lemon-yellow.

Stem: Medium length, inclined, set in a slight depression, russeted.

Calyx: Open.

Basin: Not described beyond the slight stem depression noted at the opposite end.

Flesh and Flavor: Yellowish (Downing) to yellow (Hedrick). Juicy. Downing describes the flesh as half melting, sweet, and pleasant — a notably more reserved texture rating than Hedrick, who calls it fully melting, buttery, sugary, and scented with almond. The almond scent is noted by Hedrick only.

Quality: Good (Downing); first quality (Hedrick).

Season

October–November (Downing); November (Hedrick).

Uses

A dessert pear valued for its juicy, sweet flesh and (per Hedrick) almond fragrance. No culinary or preserving uses noted in the sources.

Note on flesh texture conflict: The discrepancy between Downing's "half melting" and Hedrick's "melting" is a meaningful pomological distinction, not a matter of phrasing. These may reflect different strains, different growing conditions, or different critical standards between the two authors; both assessments should be weighed when identifying a specimen.