Fortunée
PearFortunée
Origin / History
An old variety, raised by M. Parmentier, of Enghien (Downing); a Belgian wilding found near Enghien in Hainaut, disseminated about 1830 (Hedrick). Downing calls it valuable and profitable to grow for sale as a cooking pear.
Tree
Not described in source.
Fruit
Size: Small to medium or below; "rather small" (Thomas).
Form: Roundish, roundish oblate, globular or globular-turbinate.
Stem: Short.
Cavity: Not described in source.
Calyx: Open.
Basin: Not described in source.
Skin: Rough to the touch. Greenish yellow to deep yellow, slightly netted and patched with russet, or covered with flakes and lines of brown russet; russeted.
Dots: Many, russet.
Flesh and flavor: Whitish, melting to semi-melting, juicy, sweet; "sprightly" (Thomas).
Core and seeds: Not described in source.
Season
November to June. Most give early winter or winter: November and December (Downing), winter (Thomas). Hedrick alone gives May and June.
Uses
Cooking pear.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 3 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 3 catalogs (1845–1900) from Massachusetts
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845
- Hovey & Co. , Cambridge , Massachusetts — 1849 — listed as Episcopal
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
View original book sources (3)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Fortunee.
Episcopal. Surpasse Fortunee. La Fortunee de Paris. Fortunee de Remme. La Fortunee de Parmentier. Beurre de Remme. Bergamotte Fortunee.
An old variety, raised by M. Parmentier, of Enghien, and valuable and profitable to grow for sale as a cooking Pear.
Fruit medium or below, roundish oblate, greenish yellow, slightly netted and patched with russet, many russet dots. Stalk short. Calyx open. Flesh whitish, melting, sweet. November, December.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Fortunée. Rather small, roundish, russeted; juicy, sprightly—cooking. Winter.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Fortunée.
- Downing Fr. Trees Am. 436. 1845. Bergamotte Fortunée.
- Ann. Pom. Belge 8:29, fig. 1857. Fortunée de Printemps.
- Leroy Dict. Pom. 2:188, fig. 1869.
A Belgian wilding found near Enghien in Hainaut; disseminated about 1830. Fruit small, globular or globular-turbinate; skin rough to the touch, deep yellow, covered with flakes and lines of brown-russet; flesh semi-melting, juicy, sweet; a cooking pear; May and June.