Duchesse de Bordeaux

Pear

Duchesse de Bordeaux

Origin/History

Originated with M. Secher in the Commune of Montjean, Department of Maine-et-Loire, France. Downing places the origination in 1850 near Angers, France. Bunyard and Hedrick agree that around 1850 M. Secher purchased pear trees (Bunyard: "seedlings"; Hedrick: "pear trees") from M. Perrault of Montjean (Bunyard) / Montrevault (Hedrick). Per Hedrick, ten years passed before one of the trees produced the excellent fruit described, and M. Secher invited many persons to taste it, in particular MM. Perrault and Baptiste Desportes. The variety later fruited with M. Perrault and was named by him Beurré Perrault; Secher affirmed he had properly given the variety the name of Duchesse de Bordeaux. Bunyard summarizes that the fruit was first called Beurré Perrault but was later changed to Duchesse de Bordeaux. Budd & Hansen attribute the variety simply to France. Bunyard calls it "a very valuable late fruit worthy of a place in every collection."

Tree

Sources disagree on vigor and habit. Downing describes the tree as moderately vigorous, with young wood dull olive brown. Bunyard describes growth as slow, upright, making a large tree, with moderate fertility. Hedrick describes the tree as large, vigorous, upright. Per Bunyard, the leaf is long, narrow oval, down hanging, little twisted, very shallow serrate, and turns black.

Fruit

Size

Downing and Budd & Hansen: medium. Bunyard: medium, 2½ by 2¼. Hedrick: large. Veitch: large.

Form

Downing: roundish, inclining to obtuse pyriform. Budd & Hansen: roundish, nearly obtuse pyriform. Bunyard: round, sometimes tapering a little to stem, even or slightly uneven. Hedrick: roundish-pyriform.

Stem / Stalk

Downing: long, stout, fleshy at insertion, often by a lip. Budd & Hansen: long, stout, with fleshy enlargement at base; often lipped at point of insertion. Bunyard: short and stout, generally on level with fruit, often curved. Hedrick: rather long, thick, set in a moderately deep, acute cavity.

Cavity

Downing, Budd & Hansen, and Bunyard do not describe a distinct cavity (stem set at/by fleshy lip or on level with fruit). Hedrick: moderately deep, acute.

Calyx / Eye

Downing: calyx open. Bunyard: eye small, half open. Hedrick: calyx large, open.

Basin

Downing: medium, uneven. Bunyard: shallow. Hedrick: moderately deep.

Skin

Downing: yellow, netted and traced with russet, and sprinkled with russet dots. Budd & Hansen: yellow, with netting and tracing of russet and russet dots. Bunyard: rough; dull yellow, almost entirely covered with rough brown red russet. Hedrick: thick, very tough, rough, greenish-yellow, with mottlings and patches of russet.

Flesh / Flavor

Downing: white, moderately juicy, sweet, pleasant; quality good. Budd & Hansen: white, quite juicy, sweet, pleasant; quality only good. Bunyard: pale yellow, melting, buttery, extremely juicy and richly flavoured. Hedrick: yellowish-white, firm, granular, juicy, mild; good. Veitch: medium melting, richly flavoured, fine pear.

Core / Seeds

Not described in source.

Season

Downing: December to February. Budd & Hansen: early winter. Bunyard: January to March (dessert). Hedrick: November and December. Veitch: February and March.

Uses

Bunyard classes it as a dessert pear. Veitch describes it as a fine pear. Bunyard recommends it as a very valuable late fruit worthy of a place in every collection.

Subtypes/Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Not described in source.

Book Sources

Described in 4 period pomological works

Nursery Catalog Sources

Found in 21 catalogs (1891–1921) from Alabama, England, Illinois, Missouri, Oregon, Washington

Missouri Nursery Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1891 — listed as Bordeaux
The Vineland Nurseries (Kelsey & Co. , Proprietors), St. Joseph, Missouri (Office: 13th and Atchison Sts., 2 Blocks East of the Citizens St. Car Line) — 1894
Woodburn Nurseries , Woodburn, Marion Co. , Oregon — 1894
J.V. Cotta (Cotta Nursery) , Carroll County , Illinois — 1898 — listed as Bordeaux
Alabama Nursery Co. , Huntsville , Alabama — 1900 — listed as Bordeaux
Alabama Nursery Co. , Huntsville , Alabama — 1900
George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1900
Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
Phoenix Nursery Company (W. E. Rossney , President; Sidney Tuttle, Vice-President), Bloomington , Illinois — 1904
Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1910
Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1911
James Veitch & Sons , Ltd., Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, London (also Coombe Wood, Langley, and Feltham) , England — 1911
*Better Fruit* magazine article — 1913
Thomas Rivers & Son , Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire , England — 1913
George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1914
Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1914
Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1915 — listed as Bordeaux
Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1916 — listed as Bordeaux
Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1917 — listed as Bordeaux
George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1917
Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon , Washington — 1921 — listed as Bordeaux

View original book sources (5)

Duchesse de Bourdeaux.

Beurre Perrault.

Originated with M. Secher, near Angers, France, in 1850. Tree moderately vigorous. Young wood dull olive brown.

Fruit medium, roundish, inclining to obtuse pyriform. Skin yellow, netted and traced with russet, and sprinkled with russet dots. Stalk long, stout, fleshy at insertion, often by a lip. Calyx open. Basin medium, uneven. Flesh white, moderately juicy, sweet, pleasant. Good. December to February.

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

Bordeaux (Duchesse de Bordeaux).— Medium, roundish, nearly obtuse pyriform; color yellow, with netting and tracing of russet and russet dots; stalks long, stout, with fleshy enlargement at base; often lipped at point of insertion. Flesh white, quite juicy, sweet, pleasant; quality only good. Season, early winter. France.

— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)

DUCHESSE DE BORDEAUX. Verger, I., 65. F. Beurre Perrault, G. Herzogin von Bordeaux. (Beurré Perrault.) Dessert, January to March, medium, 2½ by 2¼, round, sometimes tapering a little to stem, even or slightly uneven. Skin, rough. Colour, dull yellow, almost entirely covered with rough brown red russet. Flesh, pale yellow, melting, buttery, extremely juicy and richly flavoured. Eye, small, half open, in a shallow basin. Stem, short and stout, generally on level with fruit, often curved. Growth, slow, upright, makes a large tree; fertility moderate. Leaf, long, narrow oval, down hanging, little twisted, very shallow serrate, turns black. Origin, raised from some seedlings sold by M. Perrault of Montjean, France, to M. Secher about 1850. This fruit was first called Beurré Perrault but was later changed to Duchesse de Bordeaux. A very valuable late fruit worthy of a place in every collection.

— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)

Duchesse de Bordeaux.

Leroy Dict. Pom. 2:105, fig. 1869. 2. Hogg Fruit Man. 570. 1884. 3. Bunyard Handb. Hardy Fr. 171. 1920.

Beurre Perrault. 4. Mas Le Verger 1:133, fig. 65. 1866-73.

Bordeaux. 5. Cal. Com. Hort. Pear Grow. Col. 7:No. 5, 242. 1918.

M. Secher, in the Commune of Montjean, Department of Maine-et-Loire, Fr., bought in 1850 from M. Perrault, Montrevault, some pear trees. Ten years passed away and then one of the trees produced the excellent fruit here described. M. Secher invited many persons to taste it, in particular MM. Perrault and Baptiste Desportes. Later the variety fruited with M. Perrault and was named by him Beurre Perrault. Secher affirmed he had properly given the variety the name of Duchesse de Bordeaux.

Tree large, vigorous, upright.

Fruit large, roundish-pyriform; skin thick, very tough, rough, greenish-yellow, with mottlings and patches of russet; stem rather long, thick, set in a moderately deep, acute cavity; calyx large, open, placed in a moderately deep basin; flesh yellowish-white, firm, granular, juicy, mild; good; Nov. and Dec.

— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)

large, medium melting, richly flavoured, fine pear Feb. & Mar.

— James Veitch & Sons, Veitch's Fruit Trees (1911) (1911)

Beurre Perrault Beurré Perrault Bordeaux Duchesse de Bourdeaux Herzogin von Bordeaux Echasserie Henri Bivort