Hericart de Thury
PearOrigin/History
Raised from seed by Van Mons in Belgium, and dedicated to M. Héricart de Thury, president of the Society of Horticulture of France (Hedrick).
Tree
A good grower, of peculiar habits and appearance, rather pyramidal, but with diverging, crooked limbs. Not an early nor a very profuse bearer. Young wood dull reddish olive brown (Downing). Elliott describes the limbs as being of a deep brown or purple hue.
Fruit
Size: Medium or above (Downing, Hedrick). Thomas describes it as large.
Form: Obtuse ovate pyriform (Downing, Hedrick). Elliott describes the shape as pyramidal, turbinate. Thomas describes it as pyriform, Bosc-shaped.
Stem: Long, rather slender, curved, set in a small cavity (Downing, Hedrick). Elliott likewise describes the stalk as long and curved, inserted in a small abrupt cavity.
Cavity: Small (Downing, Hedrick). Small and abrupt (Elliott).
Calyx: Closed. Segments short (Downing). Hedrick confirms closed. Elliott describes the calyx as closed and deeply sunk.
Basin: Small, uneven (Downing, Hedrick). Uneven (Elliott).
Skin: Yellow, thinly shaded with red in the sun, slightly netted, and thickly sprinkled with russet dots (Downing, Hedrick). Elliott gives a markedly different description: rather rough, with a decided cinnamon color. Thomas describes the skin as rough, light brown.
Flesh/Flavor: White, not very juicy, and slightly astringent; good (Downing, Hedrick). Elliott gives a conflicting account: yellowish, compact, buttery, sufficiently juicy, with a peculiar rich flavor (attributed to L. E. Berckmans). Thomas describes the flesh as buttery, rich.
Core/Seeds: Not described in source.
Season
December (Downing). November and December (Hedrick). January and February (Elliott). January (Thomas).
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Elliott's description is attributed to L. E. Berckmans. Hedrick cites references in Magazin of Horticulture (1853), Downing's Fruit Trees of America (1869), Leroy's Dictionnaire de Pomologie (1869, with figure), and Dochnahl's Führer in der Obstkunde (1856), where it appears under the name Thury Schmalzbirne.
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
View original book sources (4)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Hericart de Thury.
Raised by Van Mons. A good grower, of peculiar habits and appearance, rather pyramidal, but with diverging crooked limbs. Not an early nor a very profuse bearer. Young wood dull reddish olive brown.
Fruit medium or above, obtuse ovate pyriform, yellow, thinly shaded with red in the sun, slightly netted, and thickly sprinkled with russet dots. Stalk long, rather slender, curved. Cavity small. Calyx closed. Segments short. Basin small, uneven. Flesh white, not very juicy, and slightly astringent. Good. December.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Hericart de Thury.
- Mag. Hort. 19:102. 1853. 2. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 783. 1869. 3. Leroy Dict. Pom. 2:281, fig. 1869. Thury Schmalzbirne. 4. Dochnahl Fuhr. Obstkunde 2:66. 1856.
Raised from seed by Van Mons and dedicated to M. Héricart de Thury, president of the Society of Horticulture of France. Tree a good grower, rather pyramidal, neither an early nor a profuse bearer. Fruit medium or above, obtuse-ovate-pyriform, yellow, thinly shaded with red in the sun, slightly netted, thickly sprinkled with russet dots; stem long, rather slender, curved, set in a small cavity; calyx closed, set in a small, uneven, basin; flesh white, not very juicy, slightly astringent; good; Nov. and Dec.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Hericart de Thury.
Foreign. A good grower, of peculiar habits and appearance, rather pyramidal, but with diverging, crooked limbs of a deep brown or purple hue. Not an early nor a very profuse bearer.
Fruit, pyramidal, turbinate; skin, rather rough, with a decided cinnamon color; stalk, long, and curved, inserted in a small abrupt cavity; calyx, closed, deeply sunk; basin, uneven. Flesh, yellowish, compact, buttery, sufficiently juicy, with a peculiar rich flavor. January and February. (L. E. Berckmans.)
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Hericart de Thury. Large, pyriform (Bosc-shaped), rough, light brown; buttery, rich. January. Belgian.