Henkel

Origin / History

Henkel is a pear raised by Dr. Van Mons of Belgium before 1834 (Hedrick), and is undoubtedly one of his numerous seedlings (Hovey). It was introduced into America at Boston in 1835 or 1836 by Messrs. Kenrick and Manning, who received scions from Van Mons along with other sorts (Hovey, Hedrick). Hovey notes that the variety appears to be wholly confined to American collections, observing that while a "Henkel d'hiver" exists in the French and Belgian catalogues of recent date, that is a winter pear and cannot be referred to the American Henkel — though he speculates it may yet come up under a new name, since all the fine seedlings remaining in Van Mons's nursery at his death were being introduced as rapidly as they showed fruit.

The variety is rather late in coming into bearing, which Hovey explains as the reason for the long period elapsing before it was brought to the notice of cultivators — it probably did not fruit during the lifetime of the elder Mr. Manning, as it was never mentioned by him among more than four hundred pears he described in the Magazine of Horticulture. Mr. Manning the younger first sent Hovey specimens from his extensive collection in 1846, producing the engraving published in the Magazine of Horticulture vol. xiii (1847). Hovey's colored plate represented fruit grown on his own trees in 1853. Hedrick records the variety as "the Cumberland of the Belgians" (also given by Downing as "Cumberland of Belgium"), and Leroy's Dictionnaire de Pomologie (1869) lists it as "Henkel d'Automne."

Tree

Vigorous grower, with a very erect, fastigiate or upright pyramidal habit, similar to the Buffum, and with a very marked peculiarity of foliage and growth (Hovey); growth vigorous, upright, productive (Downing). The tree makes stout, straight, annual shoots. Elliott describes it as a fine grower, an early and very productive bearer on pear roots, and valuable for orcharding — though Hovey, in contrast, notes that it is rather late in coming into bearing. Hovey reports no experience with it upon the quince stock and cannot say whether it is one of the sorts that will succeed on quince.

Wood: Clear olive, dotted with large grayish specks, rather long-jointed, stout; old wood grayish olive (Hovey). Young wood dull grayish brown (Downing); young shoots grayish brown (Elliott). Thomas describes the shoots as long, slender, erect, yellowish-brown.

Buds: Large, ovate, pointed, nearly erect, with prominent shoulders. Flower-buds medium size (Hovey).

Leaves: Medium size, oblong-ovate, narrowing to each end, thin, dark green, slightly recurved on the mid-rib, folded inwards on the sides, and slightly and obtusely serrated; petioles very long, from two to two and a half inches in length, stout (Hovey). Thomas describes the leaves as small.

Flowers: Medium size; petals roundish, cupped (Hovey).

Fruit

Size: Large, about three inches long and three and a quarter in diameter (Hovey); rather large (Downing, Hedrick); large (Elliott); medium or rather large (Thomas).

Form: Obovate, slightly uneven on the surface, broad at the crown, and obtuse at the stem (Hovey); large obovate, somewhat obtuse pyriform (Elliott); broad-obtuse-pyriform (Downing, Hedrick); round-obovate, remotely pyriform, with a very short neck, obtuse (Thomas).

Skin: Fair, smooth, lemon yellow, more or less covered with small patches of russet, interspersed with dull green specks and dotted with russet (Hovey). Dull yellow, with patches of russet and green specks (Elliott). Greenish-yellow, netted and patched with russet, and sprinkled with green and brown dots (Downing, Hedrick). Thomas describes the surface as yellow, often a clear pale yellow, sometimes partly russeted.

Stem / Stalk: Very long, about two inches in length, stout, usually having two bud-like prominences on each side, curved, and slightly inserted in a small contracted cavity (Hovey). Long and curved (Elliott). Inclined, rather stout, fleshy at insertion by a ring or lip (Downing); rather stout, inclined, inserted by a ring or lip (Hedrick). Thomas gives the stalk as an inch and a half long, slightly sunk.

Cavity: Small and contracted (Hovey). Other sources do not describe a distinct cavity, instead noting the stem is inserted by a ring or lip (Downing, Hedrick) or slightly sunk (Thomas).

Calyx / Eye: Eye medium size, open, and slightly sunk; segments of the calyx short and round (Hovey). Calyx open, segments short (Elliott). Calyx partially open; segments short, stiff, sometimes reflexed (Downing). Calyx partially open (Hedrick).

Basin: Very shallow and uneven (Hovey); uneven (Elliott); rather large, slightly uneven, russeted (Downing); small, even (Thomas).

Flesh / Flavor: Yellowish white, rather coarse, melting, and exceedingly juicy (Hovey); flavor rich, sprightly, vinous, perfumed and delicious. Yellowish white, rather coarse, juicy, vinous; "very good" (Elliott). Whitish, juicy, melting, with a rich, slightly vinous flavor; very good to best (Downing, Hedrick). Yellowish-white, buttery, melting, juicy, sprightly, fine, sometimes only second-rate (Thomas).

Core / Seeds: Core medium size; seeds large, broad, and deep brown (Hovey). Elliott gives core as medium. Downing, Hedrick, and Thomas do not describe the core or seeds.

Season

Ripe in September, and keeps two or three weeks (Hovey). Early September (Elliott). September (Downing, Hedrick).

Uses

Valuable for orcharding (Elliott). Otherwise not described in source, beyond the general indication of dessert quality conveyed by the "very good to best," "delicious," and "fine" ratings.

Subtypes / Variants

Not described in source. Hovey explicitly distinguishes the American Henkel from the "Henkel d'hiver" of the French and Belgian catalogues, which is a winter pear and a different variety.

Other

Hovey notes that Henkel "has rapidly improved upon acquaintance and under good cultivation," and that it is "a very showy pear, and as remarkable for its excellence as for its other qualities, comparing favorably with any variety of its season." Thomas's note that the flesh is "sometimes only second-rate" stands as a partial dissent from the otherwise high quality ratings given by the other sources.