Joséphine De Malines
Pear
Origin and History
Joséphine de Malines originated about 1830 in the seed beds of Major Espéren, the well-known pomologist of Mechlin (Malines), Belgium, who named it in honor of his wife. It was introduced in America prior to 1850, and in 1862 was added to the fruit-list of the American Pomological Society, a place it has since retained (Hedrick). It proves one among the best of winter varieties. Hedrick writes that "the fruit-characters are so distinctive and meritorious that the variety should be grown in every home orchard, and it possesses much merit for commercial plantations."
Tree
Downing describes the tree as moderately vigorous and productive, while Hedrick describes it as large, vigorous, spreading, tall, dense-topped, rapid-growing, hardy, and very productive. According to Hedrick, the trunk is stocky; branches thick, shaggy, reddish-brown overlaid with gray scarf-skin, marked with few lenticels; branchlets thick, dull reddish-brown, smooth, glabrous, with small, raised, inconspicuous lenticels. Downing describes the young wood as olive yellow brown, very short-jointed.
The trees thrive on white-thorn as well as on pear and quince stocks, and in almost any soil or situation suitable to pears. They are everywhere prodigiously fruitful, hardy, and resistant to blight. Nurserymen, however, find them rather difficult to grow, which Hedrick suggests is the chief reason for the variety's relative neglect.
Buds: Downing describes the buds as round, projecting. Hedrick describes the leaf-buds as short, obtuse, plump, appressed; flower-buds short, plump, free.
Leaves: 2½ inches long, 1½ inches wide, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin finely serrate; petiole 1⅝ inches long (Hedrick).
Flowers: Early, 1½ inches across, white, occasionally tinged with pink, well distributed, average 7 buds in a cluster; pedicels ⅝ inch long, slender, thinly pubescent (Hedrick).
Fruit
Size: Medium. Hedrick gives dimensions of 2⅝ inches long, 2⅛ inches wide.
Form: Downing describes the fruit as roundish oblate, slightly pyriform; Hedrick describes it as turbinate, inclined to truncate.
Stem: Downing describes the stalk as enlarged at both ends, curved, sometimes set in a small cavity. Hedrick describes the stem as long, very thick.
Cavity: Downing notes the stalk is sometimes set in a small cavity. Hedrick describes the cavity as obtuse, shallow, narrow, slightly furrowed.
Calyx: Downing describes the calyx as small, open, with segments short, stiff, nearly erect. Hedrick describes the calyx as large, open, with lobes short, broad, obtuse.
Basin: Narrow, obtuse, smooth (Hedrick).
Skin: Thick, tough, dull (Hedrick). Color pale greenish-yellow, netted and patched with russet — Downing specifies especially around the stalk. Dots numerous, small, brown or russet, conspicuous; Downing adds that the minute brown dots are particularly concentrated around the calyx.
Flesh and Flavor: The flesh has a distinctive rosy tint — Downing describes it as pinkish white, Hedrick as light salmon. Hedrick notes this is a marked peculiarity: "Several red or rosy-fleshed pears are grown in Europe, but this is the only one described by American pomologists." Both sources agree the flesh is juicy, melting, and sweet. Hedrick adds that it is granular and buttery. Both note aromatic qualities — Downing says "with a delicate aroma," Hedrick says "slightly aromatic." Hedrick's general text describes the flesh as "buttery, juicy, sweet, and perfumed — pleasing in every character that gratifies the palate."
Quality: Downing rates the quality as "very good"; Hedrick rates it "good."
Core and Seeds: Core large, closed, axile, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide; carpels pyriform; seeds large, wide, long, plump, acuminate (Hedrick).
Season and Storage
Downing gives the season as January and February. Hedrick gives December to February but notes the season is "exceedingly variable," citing other pomologists who give ranges from December to March and January to May.
Appearance Note
Hedrick observes that the fruits are "not very pleasing in appearance," though he adds that the illustration accompanying his description "scarcely does them justice in either size or color."
Book Sources
Described in 2 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 24 catalogs (1864–1918) from California, England, Oregon, Washington
- St. Helena Nursery , Howell's Prairie, Marion County , Oregon — 1864
- Hutchison Nursery , James Hutchison, Oakland , California — 1881
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1884
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1888
- California Nursery Co. , Niles , California — 1889
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1889
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1890
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1891
- Milwaukie-Canby Nurseries , Canby, OR (and Milwaukie, OR) — 1893
- Sherwood Hall Nursery Co. , Timothy Hopkins (Menlo Park Nurseries), San Francisco / Menlo Park , California — 1893
- Multnomah Nurseries , Russellville , Oregon — 1894
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1895
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1897
- Kelway & Son , Langport, Somerset , England — 1897
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1900
- S.L. Watkins , Grizzly Flats, El Dorado County , California — 1901
- C.F. Lansing , Salem , Oregon — 1910
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1910
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1911
- James Veitch & Sons , Ltd., Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, London (also Coombe Wood, Langley, and Feltham) , England — 1911
- Thomas Rivers & Son , Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire , England — 1913
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1914
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1917
- Fancher Creek Nurseries , George C. Roeding, Fresno , California — 1918
View original book sources (2)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Josephine de Malines.
Raised by Major Esperen, of Malines, and proves one among the best of winter varieties. Tree moderately vigorous and productive. Young wood olive yellow brown, very short-jointed. Buds round, projecting.
Fruit medium, roundish oblate, slightly pyriform, pale greenish yellow, netted and patched with russet, especially around the stalk, and with many minute brown dots, particularly around the calyx. Stalk enlarged at both ends, curved, sometimes set in a small cavity. Calyx small, open. Segments short, stiff, nearly erect. Flesh pinkish white, juicy, melting, sweet, with a delicate aroma. Very good. January, February.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)JOSÉPHINE DE MALINES
- McIntosh Bk. Gard. 2:461. 1855. 2. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 68. 1862. 3. Pom. France 2: No. 50, Pl. 50. 1864. 4. Jour. Hort. N. S. 14:67. 1868. 5. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 793, fig. 1869. 6. Leroy Dict. Pom. 2:310, fig. 1869. 7. Guide Prat. 61, 282. 1876. 8. Jour. Hort. 3rd Ser. 5:565, fig. 96. 1882. 9. Hogg Fruit Man. 599. 1884. 10. Bunyard Handb. Hardy Fr. 182. 1920.
Joséphine von Mecheln. 11. Dochnahl Führ. Obstkunde 2:93. 1856. 12. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 239. 1889. 13. Gaucher Pom. Prak. Obst. No. 50, Pl. 31. 1894.
Malines. 14. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 24. 1897.
This is another of the few good winter pears. The fruit-characters are so distinctive and meritorious that the variety should be grown in every home orchard, and it possesses much merit for commercial plantations. The fruits have a marked peculiarity. Cut through the shaded yellow-russet skin, flesh with a faint, rosy tint is displayed. Several red or rosy-fleshed pears are grown in Europe, but this is the only one described by American pomologists. The tree also, has a marked peculiarity; it thrives amazingly well on the white-thorn as well as on pear and quince stocks. But it is the quality of the fruits that commends the variety most highly. The flesh is buttery, juicy, sweet, and perfumed — pleasing in every character that gratifies the palate. The season is exceedingly variable, and is given by different pomologists from December to March and January to May. The fruits are not very pleasing in appearance, but the accompanying illustration scarcely does them justice in either size or color. In the orchard, the trees are satisfactory, but the nurserymen find them rather difficult to grow, this, no doubt, being the chief reason for the apparent neglect of this splendid pear. The trees thrive in almost any soil or situation suitable to pears, and are everywhere prodigiously fruitful, hardy, and resistant to blight. The variety deserves wider recognition than it now receives.
This pear originated about 1830 in the seed beds of Major Espéren, the well-known pomologist of Mechlin (Malines), Belgium, who named it Joséphine de Malines in honor of his wife. It was introduced in America prior to 1850, and in 1862 was added to the fruit-list of the American Pomological Society, a place it has since retained.
Tree large, vigorous, spreading, tall, dense-topped, rapid-growing, hardy, very productive; trunk stocky; branches thick, shaggy, reddish-brown overlaid with gray scarf-skin, marked with few lenticels; branchlets thick, dull reddish-brown, smooth, glabrous, with small, raised, inconspicuous lenticels.
Leaf-buds short, obtuse, plump, appressed. Leaves 2½ in. long, 1½ in. wide, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin finely serrate; petiole 1⅝ in. long. Flower-buds short, plump, free; flowers early, 1½ in. across, white, occasionally tinged with pink, well distributed, average 7 buds in a cluster; pedicels ⅝ in. long, slender, thinly pubescent.
Fruit ripe December to February; medium in size, 2⅝ in. long, 2⅛ in. wide, turbinate, inclined to truncate; stem long, very thick; cavity obtuse, shallow, narrow, slightly furrowed; calyx large, open; lobes short, broad, obtuse; basin narrow, obtuse, smooth; skin thick, tough, dull; color pale greenish-yellow, netted and patched more or less with russet; dots numerous, small, brown or russet, conspicuous; flesh light salmon, granular, melting, buttery, very juicy, sweet, slightly aromatic; quality good. Core large, closed, axile, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide; carpels pyriform; seeds large, wide, long, plump, acuminate.