Kingsessing

Kingsessing

Origin/History

A natural seedling that sprang up in the family burial ground of Isaac Leech, Kingsessing, a suburb of Philadelphia, around 1833. The tree first fruited about 1843. Dr. Brinckle, who introduced the variety, believed from its close resemblance to Chapman that it was probably a seedling from it, or of its parent, the Petre, as trees of both varieties stood in the vicinity. Elliott records the alternate name Leech's Kingsessing. Thomas gives the origin simply as Pennsylvania.

The American Pomological Society placed Kingsessing on its fruit-list in 1858 but dropped it in 1899. Hedrick (1921) notes that a summing up of its characters makes it appear a most desirable sort, yet its culture did not make headway — growers rate it as a "good pear" but will not grow it, for the reason that it has no outstanding characters for any region, season, or purpose. It was grown chiefly along the Atlantic Coast from Long Island to Maryland. Elliott (1865) considered that, when better known, it would take position in the first class.

Bibliographic references: Mag. Hort. 13:450 (1847); Ibid. 19:453, 516, fig. 32 (1853); Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 231 (1858); Downing, Fr. Trees Am. 795 (1869). Thomas figures it as Fig. 663.

Tree

A very large, vigorous, upright-spreading tree with a dense top, rapid-growing, hardy, and medium in yield (Hedrick). Elliott similarly describes the tree as upright and vigorous, but adds that it is somewhat thorny — a detail not mentioned by Hedrick or Thomas. Thomas describes the shoots as rather erect and greenish. The trunk is very thick; branches very stocky, grayish-brown, sprinkled with numerous large lenticels. Branchlets thick, long, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous rather small, raised, conspicuous lenticels (Hedrick). Elliott describes young shoots as yellowish-green or brownish-olive with gray dots.

Leaf-buds large, long, conical, free. Flower-buds large, conical, free (Hedrick).

Elliott notes that on Quince, the variety requires double working. Both Elliott and Thomas agree that it is a tardy or not very early bearer.

Fruit

Size: Sources disagree. Hedrick measures the fruit at 2½ in. long by 2⅜ in. wide and characterizes it as medium in size, noting it is "a little under size for a good commercial fruit" as grown at the New York Agricultural Experiment Station. Elliott calls it large, or above medium. Thomas also calls it large.

Form: Obovate-obtuse-pyriform (Hedrick); obovate, sometimes obtuse pyriform (Elliott); broad obovate or Doyenné form, approaching pyriform (Thomas).

Stem: ⅝ in. long, thick, usually curved, fleshy at the point of insertion in the fruit (Hedrick). Elliott describes it as stout and fleshy at the base. Thomas gives it as medium or long, curved.

Cavity: Obtuse, shallow, slightly furrowed, occasionally lipped (Hedrick). Thomas describes it as broad and uneven.

Calyx: Sources disagree. Hedrick says partly open, with lobes separated at the base, short, narrow, and acute. Thomas says the calyx is closed. Elliott describes the calyx simply as small.

Basin: Shallow, gently furrowed, usually symmetrical (Hedrick). Elliott says shallow. Thomas says shallow and irregular.

Skin: Sources disagree on color. Hedrick describes a granular, tender, roughish skin, yellow in ground color, sprinkled and netted with russet, with a thin brownish-red blush on the exposed cheek. Thomas describes the skin as greenish-yellow, thickly dotted. Elliott describes the fruit as sea-green with patches of dark green, which may reflect an earlier stage of ripeness or a different coloring strain. Dots are described by Hedrick as numerous, grayish or russet, small, but conspicuous; Thomas similarly notes thick dotting.

Flesh and Flavor: White, granular, tender and melting, sweet, aromatic; quality good (Hedrick). Hedrick adds that while the sweet, perfumed flavor is pleasant, it lacks individuality. Elliott calls the flesh buttery and delicate, rating it "best." Thomas: granular, buttery, melting, with a sweet, very good flavor.

Core and Seeds

Core closed, with clasping core-lines. Calyx-tube short, wide, conical. Seeds wide, long, plump, acute (Hedrick).

Season

Sources differ slightly. Elliott gives late August ("Last August"). Thomas gives September. Hedrick gives September and October.

Uses

Considered a good dessert pear. Elliott believed it would rank in the first class when better known. Hedrick, writing from later experience, found it pleasant but lacking distinction sufficient to drive commercial adoption.

Subtypes/Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Not described in source.