Fondante des Pres
PearOrigin/History
A seedling of Van Mons, Belgium. Hedrick dates its origin to 1850.
Tree
Vigorous and productive. Young wood rich warm brown (Downing).
Fruit
Size: Medium.
Form: Sources vary slightly in terminology. Downing describes it as varying from obovate obtuse to obovate acute pyriform. Hedrick describes it as turbinate, inclining to pyriform, broad across the middle. Elliott describes it as turbinate pyriform. Thomas describes it as obovate pyriform.
Stem: Medium, fleshy at base (Elliott).
Cavity: Not described in source.
Calyx: Not described in source.
Basin: Not described in source.
Skin: Pale yellow, often with a red cheek in the sun, with many brown dots (Downing). Hedrick describes it as yellowish-green changing to clear lemon-yellow, sometimes tinged with red next the sun. Elliott describes it as greenish lemon yellow. Thomas simply notes yellow.
Flesh and Flavor: White, buttery, melting, sweet, juicy, aromatic, and agreeable. Downing rates the quality as "only good." Hedrick rates it "very good."
Core/Seeds: Not described in source.
Season
October.
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
View original book sources (4)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)FONDANTE DES PRÉS.
A seedling of Van Mons'. Tree vigorous, productive. Young wood rich warm brown.
Fruit medium, varying from obovate obtuse to obovate acute pyriform, pale yellow, often with red cheek in sun, many brown dots. Flesh buttery, melting, agreeable. Only good. October.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Fondante des Pres.
- Horticulturist 9:80, fig. 1854.
- Leroy Diet. Pom. 2:179, 181 fig. 1869. Belgische Pomeranzenbirne. 3. Dochnahl Fuhr. Obstkunde 2:159. 1856.
A seedling of Van Mons, Belgium, 1850. Fruit turbinate, inclining to pyriform, broad across the middle, yellowish-green changing to clear lemon-yellow, sometimes tinged with red next the sun; flesh white, melting, sweet, juicy, aromatic; very good; Oct.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Fondante des Prés.
Foreign. Fruit, medium, turbinate pyriform, greenish lemon yellow ; stem, medium, fleshy at base ; flesh, white, sweet, agreeable. October.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Fondante des Pres. Medium, obovate pyriform, yellow; melting, juicy, sweet, aromatic. October. Belgian.