La Vanstalle
PearLa Vanstalle
Origin & History
Described in Kenrick's American Orchardist (1832). Documented in U.P. Hedrick's The Pears of New York (1921).
Fruit
Form: Perfectly pyramidal.
Size: Medium.
Skin: Highly colored with red.
Flesh: Granulous texture. Flavor becomes insipid as the fruit matures, eventually becoming soft in storage.
Season & Storage: Keeps until the middle of October.
Quality & Use Notes
Hedrick, sampling this variety alongside the Doyenne, found La Vanstalle superior to the latter but did not consider it excellent overall. The shift from granulous flesh to insipidity and eventual softness suggests this variety's ripening window is narrow—better consumed closer to maturity than after extended storage. The distinctive pyramidal form and red coloring provide reliable visual identification markers.
Note on source: The description is historical (1921) and brief. Physical details of the cavity, calyx, basin, stem, core, and tree characteristics are not provided in this source. Identification should rely on the pyramidal form, red color, medium size, and the characteristic granulous-to-insipid flesh progression.
Book Sources
Described in 1 period pomological work
View original book sources (1)
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)La Vanstalle.
- Kenrick Am. Orch. 178. 1832.
"Fruit perfectly pyramidal; highly colored with red; of medium size; flesh granulous, becoming insipid, and finally soft; it keeps till the middle of October. I did not find this fruit excellent; it is however, better than the Doyenne", (St. Michael).