Forelle
Pear
Forelle
Origin / History
Forelle is an old German pear. Elliott calls it simply "foreign". It takes its name from Forelle, the German word for trout, because the crimson speckling of the fruit resembles the markings on a trout.
The Herefordshire Pomona calls it "a very old variety" and "a native of Germany," cultivated there "for some 200 years." It reports Dr. Diel's supposition that it originated in northern Saxony. Hedrick writes that "nothing is very certainly known of the origin of this pear." He thinks it highly probable that it had its birth in northern Saxony at the beginning of the eighteenth century. Against this, Bunyard says it has been known since 1670.
According to Hedrick, it was taken from Germany to Flanders and from there introduced into England. It was first fruited there by Thomas Andrew Knight, President of the Horticultural Society of London, who in 1823 sent cions to the Honorable John Lowell, President of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. Hedrick writes that Forelle "became quite widely disseminated in the eastern United States during the first half of the eighteenth century, and was considered by many pomologists a pear of merit." By his time it had almost disappeared from cultivation. Its place had been filled by Vermont Beauty, a pear introduced from Vermont more than forty years earlier. He thinks it "not improbable that these two varieties are identical," and that Vermont Beauty "may be the old German pear renamed."
Its reputation rests on its beauty. Downing calls it "exquisitely beautiful" and "one of the most attractive dessert fruits." To Thomas it is "a pear of great beauty, which has contributed to its reputation." Hedrick writes that "the pear fancier prizes Forelle for its singularly handsome and distinctive fruits." He adds that it "pleases the eye as well as any pear for bright colors" and that "the variety is worth growing for its beautiful and distinctive fruits." Elliott writes that it "deserves more attention than it has yet received."
Tree
Vigorous; "grows freely" (Herefordshire Pomona). Hedrick gives the tree as medium in size, upright, very hardy and very productive. Bunyard calls the growth outward spreading.
Branches few and dark-colored. Hedrick gives them as dark brownish-red, sprinkled with numerous lenticels. Elliott calls the wood violet red. Young shoots long, dark, purplish, and downy; Hedrick places the pubescence on the youngest shoots.
Leaves small, flat or nearly flat, roundish-ovate. Bunyard describes the leaf as much down-curved, the margin nearly entire. Flowers open early.
Productiveness runs from uncertain to very productive. Elliott calls the tree productive on either Quince or Pear. Bunyard gives the fertility as moderate, and says the tree does best on Pear and "is too much dwarfed on Quince." The Herefordshire Pomona calls it uncertain in bearing and says it requires a south wall in Herefordshire. It advises that the blossoms be protected in spring with sprays of fir, yew tree, or common larch.
Hedrick writes that the trees "are very satisfactory in warm soils and exposures, but fail in heavy clays and cold climates."
Fruit
Size: Medium; medium or rather large (Thomas). Hedrick measures it at 3 inches long and 2 inches wide; his Cyclopedia gives 2¼ inches long and 1¾ inches wide.
Form: Oblong-obovate to pyriform: elongated, obovate or oblong-ovate, inclining to pyriform, and sometimes pyriform (Herefordshire Pomona). Hedrick gives it as oblong-obovate-pyriform, with a neck variable in length. Bunyard calls it shortened pyriform and even.
Stem: Slender, long, an inch in length. Downing calls it rather slender and slightly curved. Hedrick's Cyclopedia gives ¾ inch.
Cavity: Shallow, small, narrow, oblique, uneven, often lipped. Thomas calls it moderate.
Calyx: Small or rather small, open or partly open (Elliott). Lobes broad (Hedrick).
Basin: Shallow or rather shallow, narrow, abrupt; "abruptly sunk" (Downing).
Skin: Smooth and shining. Green at first, becoming clear lemon-yellow when fully ripe; dull yellow in shade (Elliott). The sunny side carries a bright cheek: vermilion or deep vermilion (Elliott, Thomas), bright or rich crimson (Herefordshire Pomona, Hedrick), a wash of rich deep red (Downing), or brilliant scarlet (Bunyard). Hedrick describes the yellow as more or less overlaid with red, deepening to rich crimson next to the sun; his Cyclopedia calls the overlay pinkish-red.
Dots: Numerous and conspicuous, large and small, russet or grayish, margined or rayed with crimson; the skin is profusely covered with them (Hedrick). The Herefordshire Pomona describes numerous crimson spots, and Downing large, margined, crimson specks on the sunny side, giving the trout-like speckling.
Flesh and flavor: White, fine-grained, slightly granular at the center (Hedrick). Buttery, melting, juicy, delicate. Flavor vinous, from "slightly vinous" (Downing) to "rich, vinous" and aromatic (Hedrick). The Herefordshire Pomona gives "a rich sugary and vinous flavour," and Bunyard "a delicate and sweet taste." Thomas calls the flesh "buttery and melting, but not rich."
Quality runs from "good" to "very good" or "best." Downing and Hedrick's technical description give "good," and Elliott "very good" or "best." Hedrick's introduction speaks of fruits "of very good quality": "Looks do not belie taste," the flesh being "highly flavored," satisfying "those who regard high quality a prime requisite in a pear." The Herefordshire Pomona calls it "a delicious flavoured pear when grown on a south wall." Hedrick's Cyclopedia reverses his verdict: "Looks belie taste, however, for while the flesh is delicate and buttery, it is not highly flavored and disappoints those who regard high quality a prime requisite in a pear."
Core and seeds: Core medium. Seeds nearly black, of medium size (Hedrick).
Season
Late autumn into early winter. The recorded season runs from October into January, centered on November. Downing says the fruit, ripe at the beginning of November, "may be kept, with care, till Christmas."
Uses
Dessert. The Herefordshire Pomona writes that "its great beauty will always recommend it for the dessert table."
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
A colored drawing of Forelle appears in the Transactions of the Horticultural Society of London, Vol. V, p. 409 (Herefordshire Pomona). Hedrick cites it as 5:408, Pl. XVII, 1824. Hedrick's earliest cited reference is Christ's Handbuch of 1817, under the name Forellenbirne.
Book Sources
Described in 7 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 4 catalogs (1845–1911) from England, Massachusetts
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845
- Hovey & Co. , Cambridge , Massachusetts — 1849
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
- James Veitch & Sons , Ltd., Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, London (also Coombe Wood, Langley, and Feltham) , England — 1911
View original book sources (7)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Forelle. Trout Pear, | Poire Truite, | Forellenbirne. Foreign. Deserves more attention than it has yet received. Tree, vigorous, productive on Quince or Pear ; wood, violet red, young shoots, downy. Fruit, medium, oblong obovate, dull yellow in shade, vermilion in sun, grayish dots, margined with crimson ; stem, slender ; calyx, partly open ; core, medium ; flesh, white, fine-grained, buttery, melting, juicy, vinous ; "very good" or "best." October. November.
— Woolhope Naturalists Field Club, The Herefordshire Pomona (1885)
- FORELLE.
[Syn: Forellenbirne; Corail; Corille; Grain de Corail; Petit Corail; Truite; Trout Pear.]
This is a very old variety, and a native of Germany, where it has been cultivated for some 200 years. Dr. Diel supposes it to have originated in northern Saxony.
Description.—Fruit, medium sized, elongated, obovate, but sometimes pyriform in shape. Skin, smooth, shining, of a fine lemon-yellow colour on the shaded side, and bright crimson on the side next the sun, covered with numerous crimson spots, which from their resemblance to the markings on a trout, have suggested the name it bears. Eye, small, set in a rather shallow basin. Stalk, an inch long, slender, inserted in a small shallow cavity. Flesh, white, delicate, buttery, and melting, with a rich sugary and vinous flavour.
This is a delicious flavoured pear when grown on a south wall, which it requires in Herefordshire. The tree grows freely, but is uncertain in bearing. The blossoms in Spring should be protected with sprays of fir, yew tree, or common larch. This pear ripens in November and its great beauty will always recommend it for the dessert table. A coloured drawing of it is given in the Transactions of the Horticultural Society (London,) Vol. V., p. 409.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Forelle.
Forellen-birne. Corail. Petit Corail. Grave de Corail. Poire Truite. Trout Pear.
This exquisitely beautiful German Pear — called in that language Forellen-birne, i. e., trout pear, from its finely speckled appearance — is one of the most attractive dessert fruits. Young shoots long, with few and dark-colored branches.
Fruit oblong ovate, inclining to pyriform, smooth, at first green, but when fully ripe lemon yellow, washed with rich deep red on the sunny side, where it is marked with large, margined, crimson specks. Stalk rather slender, slightly curved, shallow, uneven cavity. Calyx rather small. Basin abruptly sunk. Flesh white, fine-grained, buttery, melting, slightly vinous. Good. Beginning of November, and may be kept, with care, till Christmas.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Forelle. (Trout Pear.) Medium or rather large, pyriform, approaching oblong-obovate; green, becoming clear yellow, with a deep vermilion cheek, dots margined with crimson; stalk an inch long, slender; cavity moderate; basin rather abrupt and narrow; flesh buttery and melting, but not rich. Late autumn. Shoots dark, purplish; leaves small, nearly flat. German. A pear of great beauty, which has contributed to its reputation.
— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)FORELLE. Her. Pom., I., 9. F. Truitee. G. Forellenbirne. (Trout Pear, Corail.) Dessert, November to January, medium, shortened pyriform, even. Skin, smooth. Colour, lemon yellow with brilliant scarlet cheeks and many conspicuous large dots. Flesh, white, melting, with a delicate and sweet taste. Eye, open in a shallow basin. Stem, long, slender, in a shallow cavity. Growth, vigorous, outward spreading ; fertility moderate. Leaf, flat, much down curved, margin nearly entire. Origin, known since 1670, and named for its bold spots resembling those of the trout. Best on Pear ; it is too much dwarfed on Quince.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)FORELLE
- Trans. Lond. Hort. Soc. 5:408, Pl. XVII. 1824. 2. Pom. Mag. 3:112, Pl. 1830. 3. Lindley Guide Orch. Gard. 399. 1831. 4. Prince Pom. Man. 1:130. 1831. 5. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 389, fig. 169. 1845. 6. Mag. Hort. 13:339, fig. 27. 1847. 7. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 765. 1869. 8. Leroy Dict. Pom. 2:183, figs. 1869. 9. Mas Pom. Gen. 1:115, fig. 58. 1872. Forellenbirne. 10. Christ Handb. 514. 1817. 11. Dochnahl Führ. Obstkunde 2:12. 1856. 12. Lauche Deut. Pom. II: No. 23, Pl. 23. 1882. Florelle. 13. Prince Treat. Hort. 13. 1828. Trout Pear. 14. Gard. Chron. 804, fig. 1846.
The pear fancier prizes Forelle for its singularly handsome and distinctive fruits, which are also of very good quality. Forelle pleases the eye as well as any pear for bright colors, and is distinguished among fruits of its kind by its trout-like specklings from which comes the name Forelle, the German name for trout. Looks do not belie taste for the flesh is delicate and buttery, is highly flavored, and satisfies those who regard high quality a prime requisite in a pear. The trees are very satisfactory in warm soils and exposures, but fail in heavy clays and cold climates. The variety is worth growing for its beautiful and distinctive fruits.
Nothing is very certainly known of the origin of this pear, but it seems highly probable that it had its birth in northern Saxony at the beginning of the eighteenth century. From Germany it was taken to Flanders, and from there introduced into England. In the latter country, it was first fruited by Thomas Andrew Knight, President of the Horticultural Society of London, who, in 1823, sent cions to the Honorable John Lowell, President of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. Forelle became quite widely disseminated in the eastern United States during the first half of the eighteenth century, and was considered by many pomologists a pear of merit. At the present time, however, the variety has almost disappeared from cultivation. Its place has been filled by Vermont Beauty, a pear introduced from Vermont more than forty years ago. It is not improbable that these two varieties are identical. Vermont Beauty may be the old German pear renamed.
Tree medium in size, vigorous, upright, very hardy and very productive; branches few, dark brownish-red, sprinkled with numerous lenticels; branchlets long, pubescent on the youngest shoots. Leaves small, flat, roundish-ovate; flowers open early.
Fruit ripens November to December; medium in size, 3 in. long, 2 in. wide, oblong-obovate-pyriform, with a neck variable in length; stem 1 in. long, slender; cavity shallow, oblique, narrow, often lipped; calyx small, open; lobes broad; basin shallow, narrow, abrupt; skin smooth; color yellow, more or less overlaid with red, deepening to rich crimson next to the sun, profusely covered with grayish-russet dots which are margined or rayed with crimson; dots numerous, large and small, russet or grayish; flesh white, fine-grained, although slightly granular at the center, melting, buttery, juicy, aromatic, with a rich, vinous flavor; quality good. Core medium in size; seeds nearly black, of medium size.
— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)FORELLE. Trout Pear. The fruits of Forelle satisfy the eye for bright colors, and are distinguished by trout-like specklings from which comes "Forelle," the German name for trout. Looks belie taste, however, for while the flesh is delicate and buttery, it is not highly flavored and disappoints those who regard high quality a prime requisite in a pear. The trees are very satisfactory in warm soils and exposure, but fail in heavy clays and cold climates. The variety is worth growing for its beautiful and distinctive fruits. The variety originated in northern Saxony at the beginning of the eighteenth century.
Tree medium in size, vigorous, upright, very hardy and very productive; branches few, dark brownish-red, sprinkled with numerous lenticels. Leaves small, flat, round-ovate. Flowers open early. Fruit ripens November-December; medium in size, [2¼] inches long, [1¾] inches wide, oblong-obovate-pyriform, with a neck variable in length; stem [¾] inch long, slender; cavity shallow, oblique, narrow, often lipped; calyx small, open; lobes broad; basin shallow, narrow, abrupt; skin smooth; color yellow, more or less overlaid with pinkish-red, deepening to rich crimson next to the sun, profusely covered with grayish-russet dots which are margined or rayed with crimson; dots numerous, large and small, russet or grayish; flesh white, fine-grained, granular at the center, melting, buttery, juicy, aromatic, with a rich, vinous flavor; quality good; core medium in size; seeds nearly black, of medium size.