Marie Louise d'Uccle
PearMarie Louise d'Uccle
[NOTE: Source text may be incorrect — the Thomas Rivers & Son catalogue entry (1914) is fragmentary and partly garbled ("...large, very handsome pear; - Good in a with growth; excellent; producing fruit."). Only "large," "very handsome," "good," and "excellent" can be salvaged, and the context of "good" and "excellent" is uncertain.]
Origin / History
Marie Louise d'Uccle was raised from a seed of the Marie Louise by M. Gambier. Hedrick calls Gambier a neighbor and contemporary of Van Mons. Downing places the raising in a village, Uccle, near Brussels. Bunyard gives Gambier as "of Rhode, near St. Genese, near Brussels." First fruits in 1846 (Hedrick). Hedrick cites "Card. Chron. 1060, 1179. 1865" and Bunyard's Handbook; Bunyard cites "Her. Pom., II., 55." The variety was under test at the Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz, B.C., in 1900. Bunyard calls it "a fine pear, not quite justly appreciated." Rivers' catalogue (1914) calls it a "very handsome pear" and "excellent."
Tree
A vigorous grower, upright (Downing); vigorous also at Agassiz. Growth rather slender according to Bunyard, who says it "makes a compact tree, but with a lot of whippy shoots." Young wood dark brown (Downing). Leaf rather large, down-curved, upfolded, boldly serrate, turning dull yellow red to black (Bunyard). Fertility very good (Bunyard). "Unfortunately very subject to scab" (Bunyard).
Fruit
Size: Above medium (Downing) to large, most often called large or rather large. Bunyard calls it "fairly large" and gives 3¾ by 4.
Form: Pyriform. Obovate pyriform, roundish (Downing) or obtuse (Agassiz). Bunyard calls it oval.
Stem: Inclined, curved, generally at an angle. Downing calls it medium. Bunyard calls it stout, woody, and rather long.
Cavity: Small, the stalk sometimes set by a lip (Downing).
Calyx: Downing calls the calyx large and partially open, with persistent segments. Bunyard calls the eye medium and closed.
Basin: Large and uneven according to Downing; deep and narrow according to Bunyard.
Skin: Rough to a little rough. Ground yellow to golden yellow (Downing, Bunyard), though Agassiz calls it green. A shade of brown in the sun (Downing). Considerably netted and patched with russet, almost covered with fawn russet dots and patches (Bunyard). Hedrick calls it a pale cinnamon-colored russet, "rather similar to Marie Louise."
Dots: Numerous, russet. Fawn (Bunyard) or grayish (Agassiz).
Flesh and flavor: Flesh white, or palest yellow (Bunyard). Very fine, juicy to very juicy, melting to very melting, buttery. Vinous and a little or slightly astringent (Downing, Agassiz). Saccharine and richly flavored (Hedrick); "deliciously flavoured" (Bunyard). Good to very good (Downing, Hedrick).
Core and seeds: Not described in source.
Season
September and October; Bunyard gives October.
Uses
Dessert (Bunyard).
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 3 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 6 catalogs (1900–1917) from England
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1900
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
- 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
View original book sources (5)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Marie Louise d'Uccle.
This variety was raised from a seed of the Marie Louise, by M. Gambier, in a village (Uccle) near Brussels. Tree a vigorous, upright grower. Young wood dark brown.
Fruit above medium, roundish obovate pyriform. Surface rough, yellow, with a shade of brown in the sun, considerably netted, patched, and numerously dotted with russet. Stalk medium, inclined, curved, set in a small cavity, sometimes by a lip. Calyx large, partially open, with persistent segments. Basin large, uneven. Flesh white, juicy, melting, vinous, a little astringent. Good to very good. September, October.
— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)MARIE LOUISE D'UCCLE. Her. Pom., II., 55. G. Uccle's Marie Louise. Dessert, October, fairly large, 3¾ by 4, oval, pyriform. Skin, a little rough. Colour, golden yellow, almost covered with fawn russet dots and patches. Flesh, palest yellow, very juicy, deliciously flavoured. Eye, medium, closed in a deep and narrow basin. Stem, stout, woody, rather long, generally at an angle. Growth, rather slender; fertility very good. Leaf, rather large, down curved, upfolded, boldly serrate, turns dull yellow red to black. Origin, raised by M. Gambier, of Rhode, near St. Genese, near Brussels, from a seed of Marie Louise. A fine pear, not quite justly appreciated. It is unfortunately very subject to scab. It makes a compact tree, but with a lot of whippy shoots.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Marie Louise d'Uccle.
x. Card. Chron. 1060, 1179. 1865. 2. Bunyard Handb. Hardy Fr. 187. 1920.
Marie Louise d'Uccle is a seedling of Marie Louise raised by M. Gambier, a neighbor and contemporary of Van Mons. It produced its first fruits in 1846. Fruit rather large, pyriform, pale cinnamon-colored russet, rather similar to Marie Louise; flesh very fine, very melting, buttery, saccharine, very juicy and richly flavored; good to very good; Sept. and Oct.
— Central Experimental Farm, Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz BC — Catalogue of Fruit Trees under Test (Bulletin No. 3, 1900) (1900)Tree a vigorous grower. Fruit large, obtuse, obovate, pyriform. Skin green, freely sprinkled with grayish dots and patches of russet. Flesh white, juicy, buttery, slightly astringent. Season September and October.
— Thomas Rivers & Son, Thomas Rivers Catalogue of Fruits (1914) (1914)...large, very handsome pear; - Good in a with growth; excellent; producing fruit.