Lawson

Origin/History

The Lawson pear originated on the farm of a Mr. Lawson in Ulster County, New York, around 1800, judging from the condition of the original tree, which was still standing in 1900. The variety was introduced toward the end of the nineteenth century under the name Comet, by reason of its color, so that it is sometimes known as Lawson Comet. The American Pomological Society added Lawson to its fruit-catalog in 1899. Although grown for more than a hundred years in New York, the variety never made headway in that state, but was attracting much attention on the Pacific slope at the time of Hedrick's writing. Thomas (1903) notes it as valuable in the South.

Tree

Tree medium in size, vigorous, upright, dense-topped, very productive; fairly healthy, hardy, and free from blight, characterized by its tall, upright growth. Branches slender, zigzag, reddish-brown overlaid with grayish scarf-skin, marked with numerous raised, large lenticels. Branchlets slender, very long, with characteristically long internodes, rough, zigzag, marked with numerous large, raised, conspicuous lenticels. Leaves 3½ in. long, 1½ in. wide; apex abruptly pointed; margin glandless, serrate; petiole ¾ in. long. Flowers early, showy, 1¼ in. across, in dense clusters of 6 or 8 buds; pedicels 1 in. long, thick. Comes into bearing at 8 or 10 years (Thomas).

Fruit

Size and Form: Large (Hedrick); medium to large (Thomas); 2¾ in. long, 2½ in. wide. Shape varies from obovate-obtuse-pyriform to globular-obtuse-pyriform, with unequal sides; fruits often irregular in shape.

Stem: ⅝ in. long, thick, curved, woody.

Cavity: Very small and narrow, often with a lip drawn up around one side of the stem.

Calyx: Partly open; lobes narrow, often reflexed.

Basin: Narrow, obtuse, gently furrowed.

Skin: Thin, tender, smooth. Color pale yellow, overspread on the exposed cheek with a bright red blush — as brightly colored as the Vermont Beauty or Mount Vernon. Thomas describes the color as crimson or yellow. Dots numerous, small, greenish or russet, obscure.

Flesh and Flavor: Whitish or often salmon-color, firm, tough, medium juicy, lacking sweetness; quality poor (Hedrick). Thomas describes the flesh as crisp and juicy — a conflict with Hedrick's characterization. Of all early pears, the fruit best satisfies the eye for bright colors, but in quality is never more than mediocre (Hedrick).

Core and Seeds: Core unusually small, closed, with clasping core-lines; though the pears ripen early and quickly, the core seldom softens unduly. Calyx-tube short, wide. Seeds short, wide, plump, obtuse, few in number; fruits sometimes nearly or quite seedless.

Season

Ripens in August (Hedrick). Thomas places it in early summer. Both sources agree it is an early-ripening variety.

Uses

Valued for its striking color and small core. Considered valuable in the South (Thomas) and of interest on the Pacific slope (Hedrick). Never achieved commercial importance in New York State.

Subtypes/Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Of note as an identification feature: the characteristically long internodes on the branchlets, the pronounced lenticels on both branches and branchlets, and the very small cavity with its updrawn lip are distinctive structural markers. The combination of bright red blush on pale yellow skin, salmon-tinged flesh, unusually small core, and tendency toward few or no seeds are collectively characteristic of this variety.