Fleur de Neige
PearFleur de Neige
[NOTE: Source text may be incorrect — Thomas (1903) prints "Henri Van Mons" and "Fleur de Neige" as two separate entries, while Downing and Hedrick treat Henri Van Mons and Fleur de Neige as one variety. Thomas's Henri Van Mons entry may therefore describe a different pear; its details are included below and attributed to it by name.]
Origin / History
Belgian (Thomas); "Foreign" (Elliott). Raised by Van Mons, one of his earliest seedlings (Downing), obtained between 1830 and 1835 (Hedrick).
Elliott (1865) describes it under "Fleur de Neige," with "Snow Flower" as a second name. Leroy described and figured it as "Henri Van Mons" (Dict. Pom. 2:163, fig., 1869). Downing's Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (cited by Hedrick at p. 782, 1869) describes Fleur de Neige under the heading "Henri Van Mons'." Thomas (1903) prints separate entries for "Henri Van Mons" and "Fleur de Neige." Hedrick (1921) describes it under "Fleur de Neige," referring Leroy's "Henri Van Mons" to it.
Tree
Very vigorous, hardy, holding its foliage late in the season, and an abundant bearer; young wood clear olive (Downing).
Fruit
Size: Medium to large, most accounts placing it above medium ("medium or above," "rather large"). Thomas's Henri Van Mons entry calls it medium.
Form: Pyriform, elongated acute pyriform to conic pyriform, narrowed toward the stalk. Tapers by a mamelon protuberance to its junction with the stem (Elliott). Thomas's Henri Van Mons entry calls it "nearly Tyson-shaped."
Stem: Long, slender to rather slender. Curved (Downing). Meets the fruit by a fleshy enlargement (Elliott).
Cavity: None; the stalk is set without cavity (Downing).
Calyx: Open (Downing, Hedrick); small, partially closed (Elliott). Segments long, generally recurved (Downing).
Basin: Small, shallow, uneven.
Skin: Surface very uneven (Elliott). Ground pale yellow to yellowish green or greenish yellow. Mottled, stained, netted, and patched with thin russet. On the side next the sun it is shaded and mottled with brownish red or crimson (Downing), or washed with dark brick-red on the cheek (Hedrick). Thomas's Henri Van Mons entry gives yellowish with a blush.
Dots: Thickly sprinkled with russet dots (Downing); dotted with carmine and maroon (Hedrick).
Flesh and flavor: Flesh yellowish (Downing) or white (Hedrick). Juicy, melting, sweet (Downing). Melting, abounding in sugary juice, with a pleasant perfume (Hedrick). Elliott calls it somewhat granular and coarse, "but sweet and high flavored." Thomas's Henri Van Mons entry is "buttery, vinous, perfumed, agreeable." Quality "good to very good" (Downing, Hedrick).
Core and seeds: Not described in source.
Season
September and October. Most authors give October, Elliott the middle of October; Hedrick gives September and October.
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
- Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)
- Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903) — listed as Henri Van Mons
- Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900) — listed as Henri Van Mons'
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 1 catalog (1849) from Massachusetts
- Hovey & Co. , Cambridge , Massachusetts — 1849 — listed as Henri Van Mons
View original book sources (4)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Fleur de Neige. Snow Flower. Foreign. Fruit, medium or above, tapering by a mamelon protuberance to its junction with the stem which meets it by a fleshy enlargement ; calyx, small, partially closed, in a small, shallow basin ; surface, very uneven : color, yellowish green, mottled with thin russet ; flesh, somewhat granular and coarse, but sweet and high flavored. Ripens middle of October.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Henri Van Mons'.
Bergamotte Rouge Tardif. Fleur de Neige. Beurre Rouge Tardif. Snow Flower.
One of Van Mons' earliest seedlings. Tree very vigorous, hardy, holding its foliage late in the season, and an abundant bearer. Young wood clear olive.
Fruit medium to large, elongated acute pyriform, pale yellow, shaded and mottled with brownish red or crimson in the sun, netted and patched with russet, and thickly sprinkled with russet dots. Stalk long, rather slender, curved, without cavity. Calyx open. Segments long, generally recurved. Basin small, uneven. Flesh yellowish, juicy, melting, sweet. Good to very good. October.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Henri Van Mons. Medium, pyriform (nearly Tyson-shaped), yellowish with a blush; buttery, vinous, perfumed, agreeable. October.
[Additional entry in this volume: "Fleur de Neige", pp. 791–791]
Fleur de Neige. (Snow Flower.) Rather large, conic pyriform, yellowish-green; granular; sweet, high-flavored. October. Belgian.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Fleur de Neige.
- Leroy Dict. Pom. 2:163, fig. 1869. Henri Van Mons. 2. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 782. 1869.
Obtained by Van Mons between 1830 and 1835. Fruit rather large, pyriform, narrowed toward the stalk, greenish-yellow, stained with russet and washed with dark brick-red on the cheek next the sun and dotted with carmine and maroon; stem long, slender; calyx open in a small basin; flesh white, melting, abounding in sugary juice, with a pleasant perfume; good to very good; Sept. and Oct.