Doyenne Downing

Pear

Doyenne Downing

Origin/History

Raised by André Leroy of France and dedicated to the memory of A. J. Downing. Both sources confirm this French origin; Elliott additionally designates it "Foreign" and specifies Leroy's nationality explicitly.

Tree

Moderately vigorous. Young wood slender, dark rusty brown. (Downing)

Not further described in Elliott.

Fruit

Size: Medium.

Form: The sources conflict. Downing describes the fruit as obovate obtuse pyriform, inclining to turbinate. Elliott describes it as roundish and irregular.

Stem: Short, obliquely inserted. (Elliott)

Cavity: Not described in source.

Calyx: Not described in source.

Basin: Not described in source.

Skin: Greenish yellow (Downing) / green yellowish (Elliott), sprinkled and netted with russet (Downing), thickly covered with russet dots (Downing; Elliott also notes russet dots). Downing additionally notes the skin is very slightly shaded with crimson.

Flesh/Flavor: The sources conflict on texture and flavor character. Downing describes the flesh as fine, buttery, juicy, and melting, with a sweet, vinous, rich, perfumed flavor, somewhat aromatic, and rates the quality good to very good. Elliott describes the flesh as white, crisp, and juicy, with a sugary, slightly acidulated flavor.

Core/Seeds: Not described in source.

Season

The sources conflict slightly: Downing gives October; Elliott gives September.

Uses

Not described in source.

Subtypes/Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Not described in source.

Book Sources

Described in 2 period pomological works

View original book sources (2)

Doyenne Downing.

Raised by Andre Leroy, and dedicated to the late A. J. Downing. Tree moderately vigorous. Young wood slender, dark rusty brown. Fruit medium, obovate obtuse pyriform, inclining to turbinate. Skin greenish yellow, sprinkled and netted with russet, very slightly shaded with crimson, and thickly covered with russet dots. Flesh fine, buttery, juicy, melting, with a sweet, vinous, rich, perfumed flavor, somewhat aromatic. Good to very good. October.

— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)

Doyenne Downing. Foreign. Raised and dedicated by M. Leroy (France) to the memory of A. J. Downing. Fruit, medium, roundish, irregular; green yellowish, speckled with russet dots; stem, short, obliquely inserted; flesh, white, crisp, juicy, sugary, slightly acidulated, September.

— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)

Downing