Doyenné d'Alençon

Doyenné d'Alençon

Origin and History

This old French pear is reported to be a wilding discovered by the Abbé Malassis near Alençon, Orne, France, and propagated by M. Thuillier, a nurseryman at Alençon. There was, however, a pear of the same name and season found at Orleans in 1628, in the orchard of Le Lectier, the renowned pomologist; it is probable that the pear Thuillier propagated was the one found many years previously by Le Lectier. Downing (1900) describes the origin as unknown, which likely reflects the ambiguity surrounding these two early records. The variety must have been introduced into America between 1840 and 1850, as it was mentioned by the American Pomological Society in 1856 as one of the promising new pears. In 1858 the Society added the variety to its fruit-catalog, but discontinued recommending it in 1897.

The variety is worth planting for its very late fruits and long season, as it comes in season in December and keeps well into late winter. The fruits are not remarkable for either taste or appearance, but are good for a winter product when there is little competition from other varieties. The pears are admirably adapted for culinary purposes. In some seasons the pears fail to ripen, and the variety should be planted only on warm soils and in situations where the season is warm and long. Tree and fruit have a family resemblance to Easter Beurré, though the latter is generally considered a better pear. This variety is much grown in Europe on the quince, and trained in the various fanciful forms Europeans make use of in training fruit trees.

Tree

Tree medium in size, moderately vigorous, upright, dense-topped, and productive. Trunk thick and shaggy. Branches stocky, reddish-brown, lightly covered with gray scarf-skin. Branchlets slender, curved, short, with short internodes, light brown with a faint reddish tinge, smooth, pubescent near the tips of the new growth, with numerous small, raised, conspicuous lenticels. Downing describes the young shoots as dull olive brown, which may reflect seasonal or positional variation from Hedrick's reddish-brown characterization of mature branch wood.

Leaf-buds small, short, sharply pointed, plump, free; leaf-scars with prominent shoulders. Leaves 2½ in. long, 1¼ in. wide, thin; apex taper-pointed; margin with few glands, coarsely serrate; petiole ⅝ in. long, glabrous, with a tinge of red, slender.

Flower-buds small, short, conical, plump, free, arranged singly on short spurs. Flowers early, 1⅛ in. across, in dense clusters averaging 9 buds per cluster; pedicels ⅞ in. long, lightly pubescent.

Fruit

Size and Form: Medium in size, 2½ in. long and 2¼ in. wide. Form obovate-obtuse-pyriform — Downing characterizes this as roundish oval inclining to obovate or pyriform — symmetrical and uniform.

Stem: ⅞ in. long, thick and curved, inserted in the cavity. Downing notes the stalk is of moderate length and pretty large.

Cavity: Obtuse, shallow, symmetrical, often slightly lipped, and small (Hedrick). Downing describes it as a medium cavity, which is in some tension with Hedrick's characterization of it as small.

Calyx: Open, large; lobes not separated at the base, broad and narrow; segments persistent.

Basin: Sources disagree on this feature. Hedrick describes the basin as narrow, abrupt, smooth, and symmetrical. Downing describes it as deep, round, and upright. These descriptions conflict and both are noted here.

Skin: Very thick and tough, roughish in texture. The ground color is described differently by the two sources: Hedrick gives dull greenish-yellow with a faint orange blush on the exposed cheek; Downing gives yellow shaded with dull crimson or carmine. Both agree the surface is marked with numerous brown and russet dots and netted with russet. Hedrick further specifies the dots as numerous, small, brownish-russet, and inconspicuous.

Flesh and Flavor: Tinged with yellow, granular at the center (Hedrick), and somewhat granular overall (Downing). Tender and melting, juicy, aromatic. Hedrick characterizes the flavor as lively and vinous; Downing describes the flesh as buttery, sugary, very rich, sprightly, and highly perfumed. On quality, Downing rates the variety "very good," while Hedrick rates it "good" and notes the fruits are not remarkable for taste or appearance — a meaningful disagreement reflecting the six decades between their assessments, or perhaps differences in climate and culture conditions.

Core and Seeds: Core large, closed, axile, with clasping core-lines. Calyx-tube short, wide, conical. Seeds large, wide, long, plump, and acute.

Season and Uses

Fruit ripens in December and, under ordinary conditions, remains in use through February or March; Downing extends the range to April. This very long storage season — December to April — is the variety's primary virtue. The pears are especially well suited to culinary use and serve as a reliable late-winter table fruit when few other varieties remain available. In some seasons and in short-summer climates, the fruit may fail to ripen fully; planting on warm soil in a long-season situation is recommended.