Léon Leclerc (Van Mons)
Pear
Léon Leclerc (Van Mons)
Origin / History
This pear was obtained by M. Léon Leclerc, a distinguished pomologist living at Laval, France, who dedicated it to his friend Van Mons. Desiring to couple his own name with that of his friend, he gave it the name of Van Mons Léon Leclerc, by which appellation it has been known by most authors. The variety first fruited in 1828 (Pears of New York); the Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits gives the origin date as about 1825.
There has been a good deal of confusion as to the identity of this pear, owing to the fact that Van Mons raised a pear in 1816 which he dedicated to Léon Leclerc. The proper name of the latter pear is Léon Leclerc de Laval. There is also a Léon Leclerc de Louvain. The variety under discussion was fruited in this country previous to 1843 by Marshall P. Wilder. The American Pomological Society added the variety to its fruit-catalog in 1862 but dropped it in 1869.
A century ago this pear was being heralded in Europe as the best of all pears, and shortly afterward was introduced into the United States with highest praise. The variety is still popular in Europe, but its reputation there is not sustained here.
Tree
Medium in size, vigorous, spreading, open-topped, slow-growing (Cyclopedia), productive. Trunk shaggy. Branches roughish, reddish-brown, overspread with heavy, dull scarf-skin, with conspicuous, numerous, large lenticels. Branchlets very slender and curved, short, with short internodes, light brown streaked with gray and tinged with green, dull, smooth, glabrous, with numerous small, conspicuous, raised lenticels. Said to prefer a rich, deep soil. Performs on standard or quince stock.
Leaf-buds very small, short, pointed, appressed. Leaves leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin glandless, entire; petiole glabrous, reddish-green. The two sources give conflicting leaf measurements: Pears of New York gives leaves 1⅜ in. long, ¾ in. wide, petiole 1½ in. long; the Cyclopedia gives leaves 3¼ in. long, 1½ in. wide, petiole 1¾ in. long.
Flower-buds small, short, conical, plump, free, singly on short spurs. Flowers showy, 1¼ in. across, in dense racemes, 7 or 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels ⅞ in. long, pubescent.
Fruit
Size and Form: Large, oblong-pyriform, tapering to a very long, narrow neck. Pears of New York gives dimensions as 3⅛ in. long, 2½ in. wide; the Cyclopedia gives 2¾ in. long, 3½ in. wide. [NOTE: The Cyclopedia's dimensions appear transposed — a fruit wider than it is long is inconsistent with the described oblong-pyriform shape tapering to a long, narrow neck; the Pears of New York measurements (length exceeding width) are consistent with the form description.] Well-grown specimens are often as large as those of Duchesse d'Angoulême, with which they compare closely in shape.
Stem: Thick, curved. Pears of New York gives 1 in. long; the Cyclopedia gives ¾ in. long.
Cavity: Very small, compressed, usually lipped.
Calyx: Large, open; lobes separated at the base, broad, acute.
Basin: Shallow, narrow, obtuse, symmetrical.
Skin: Thick, tough, roughened by russet specks. Color dull yellow, covered with dots and tracings of russet and occasionally with a faint russet-red blush. On well-grown specimens the color is rich and beautiful. Dots numerous, small, russet, conspicuous.
Flesh / Flavor: Granular under the skin, nearly melting, juicy, subacid or with a peculiar sprightliness. Quality good. The flavor is sprightly and refreshing, which, with good flesh characters, give the variety high rank for quality.
Core / Seeds: Core large, closed, with clasping core-lines. Calyx-tube short, narrow, conical. Seeds large, wide, long, acute.
Season
Ripens late September and October, filling a particular niche between late fall and early winter at a time when there are few other good varieties.
Uses
Suitable only for collections.
Other
The variety's most serious fault is great susceptibility to the scab fungus. After Flemish Beauty, no other variety suffers as much both in fruit and foliage from scab. There are no remarkable characters in the trees to recommend them, although they are quite up to the average in all characters either on pear or quince stocks.
Book Sources
Described in 2 period pomological works
- Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)
- Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922) — listed as LÉON LECLERC
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 1 catalog (1900)
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900 — listed as Léon Leclerc
View original book sources (2)
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)LÉON LECLERC (VAN MONS)
- Mass. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 3. 1843. 2. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 419, fig. 192. 1845. 3. Hovey Fr. Am. 1:9, Pl. 1851. 4. Ann. Pom. Belge 5:51, Pl. 1857. 5. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 70. 1862. 6. Pom. France 1: No. 29, Pl. 29. 1863. 7. Jour. Hort. N. S. 10:366. 1866. 8. Mas Le Verger 3: Pt. 1, 127, fig. 62. 1866-73. 9. Leroy Dict. Pom. 2:722, fig. 1869. 10. Jour. Hort. 3rd Ser. 1:573, fig. 103. 1880. 11. Cat. Cong. Pom. France 361, fig. 1906.
Van Mons Butterbirne. 12. Lauche Deut. Pom. II: No. 65, Pl. 65. 1883. 13. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 292. 1889.
A century ago this pear was being heralded in Europe as the best of all pears, and shortly afterward was introduced into the United States with highest praise. The variety is still popular in Europe, but its reputation there is not sustained here. The pear deserves a place among major varieties only because it fills a particular niche in the pear season, the crop coming in season between late fall and early winter at a time when there are few other good varieties. Were it not for one serious fault, however, the variety might take high rank in America. The fault is great susceptibility to the scab fungus. After Flemish Beauty, no other variety suffers as much both in fruit and foliage. Well grown in a congenial environment, on standard or quince stock, the pears are often as large as those of Duchesse d'Angoulême, with which they compare rather closely in shape. On well-grown specimens, also, the color is rich and beautiful. The flavor is sprightly and refreshing, which, with good flesh-characters, give the variety high rank for quality. There are no remarkable characters in the trees to recommend them, although they are quite up to the average in all characters either on pear or quince stocks. They are said to prefer a rich, deep soil. The variety is suitable only for collections.
This pear was obtained by M. Léon Leclerc, a distinguished pomologist living at Laval, France, who dedicated it to his friend Van Mons. Desiring to couple his own name with that of his friend, he gave it the name of Van Mons Léon Leclerc, by which appellation it has been known by most authors. The variety first fruited in 1828. There has been a good deal of confusion as to the identity of this pear, owing to the fact that Van Mons raised a pear in 1816 which he dedicated to Léon Leclerc. The proper name of the latter pear is Léon Leclerc de Laval. There is also a Léon Leclerc de Louvain. The variety under discussion was fruited in this country previous to 1843 by Marshall P. Wilder. The American Pomological Society added the variety to its fruit-catalog in 1862 but dropped it in 1869.
Tree medium in size, vigorous, spreading, open-topped, productive; trunk shaggy; branches roughish, reddish-brown, overspread with heavy, dull scarf-skin, with conspicuous, numerous, large lenticels; branchlets very slender and curved, short, with short internodes, light brown streaked with gray and tinged with green, dull, smooth, glabrous, with numerous small, conspicuous, raised lenticels.
Leaf-buds very small, short, pointed, appressed. Leaves 1⅜ in. long, ¾ in. wide, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin glandless, entire; petiole 1½ in. long, glabrous, reddish-green. Flower-buds small, short, conical, plump, free, singly on short spurs; flowers showy, 1¼ in. across, in dense racemes, 7 or 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels ⅞ in. long, pubescent.
Fruit ripe in late September and October; large, 3⅛ in. long, 2½ in. wide, oblong-pyriform, tapering to a very long, narrow neck; stem 1 in. long, thick, curved; cavity very small, compressed, usually lipped; calyx large, open; lobes separated at the base, broad, acute; basin shallow, narrow, obtuse, symmetrical; skin thick, tough, roughened by russet specks; color dull yellow, covered with dots and tracings of russet and occasionally with a faint russet-red blush; dots numerous, small, russet, conspicuous; flesh granular under the skin, nearly melting, juicy, subacid or with a peculiar sprightliness; quality good. Core large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, narrow, conical; seeds large, wide, long, acute.
— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)LÉON LECLERC. This variety is popular in Europe, but its reputation there is not sustained here, although it fills a particular niche in the pear season, the crop coming in season between late fall and early winter at a time when there are few other good varieties. Were it not for a serious fault, the variety might take high rank in America. After Flemish Beauty, no other variety suffers as much in fruit and foliage from scab. Well grown in a congenial environment, the pears are often as large as those of Duchesse d'Angouleme, with which they compare closely in shape. On well-grown specimens, also, the color is rich and beautiful. The flavor is sprightly and refreshing, which, with good flesh characters, give the variety high rank for quality. There are no remarkable characters in the trees to recommend them. The variety is suitable only for collections. This pear originated with Léon Leclerc, Laval, France, about 1825.
Tree medium in size, vigorous, spreading, open-topped, slow-growing, productive; trunk shaggy; branches roughish, reddish-brown, with numerous large lenticels. Leaves 3¼ inches long, 1½ inches wide, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin glandless, entire; petiole 1¾ inches long, glabrous, reddish-green. Flowers showy, 1¼ inches across, in dense clusters, nearly a raceme, 7 or 8 buds in a cluster. Fruit ripens in late September and October; large, 2¾ inches long, 3½ inches wide, oblong-pyriform, tapering to a very long, narrow neck; stem ¾ inch long, thick, curved; cavity very small, compressed, usually lipped; calyx large, open; lobes separated at the base, broad, acute; basin shallow, narrow, obtuse, symmetrical; skin thick, tough, roughened by russet specks; color dull yellow, covered with dots and tracings of russet and occasionally with a faint russet-red blush; dots numerous, small, russet, conspicuous; flesh granular under the skin, nearly melting, juicy, subacid or with a peculiar sprightliness; quality good; core large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, narrow, conical; seeds large, wide, long, acute.