Orpheline Colmar
PearOrigin/History
The Orpheline Colmar is a Belgian pear, a gain of Van Mons a few years before his death (Hedrick). It was first described in the Annales de Pomologie Belge (2:177, fig. 1854), which Downing, Elliott, and Hedrick all cite or draw upon. Hedrick also references Mathieu's Nomenclature Pomologique (260, 1889). At the time of Downing's writing (1900), it was "as yet little known in this country."
Tree
Vigorous and very fertile. Young wood dull olive brown (Downing).
Fruit
Size: Very large. Thomas alone describes it as simply "large."
Form: Pyriform. Hedrick adds that it is also obtuse-pyramidal.
Stem: Not described in source beyond its mention as a landmark for skin coloring (see Skin below).
Cavity: Not described in source.
Calyx: Not described in source beyond its mention as a landmark for skin coloring (see Skin below).
Basin: Not described in source.
Skin: Bright green, becoming somewhat yellow at maturity (Downing, Elliott). Hedrick describes the base color as clear green becoming yellow at maturity. The surface is dotted with gray, brown, and black (Downing); Elliott and Hedrick describe it as both striped (or streaked) and dotted with gray (or grayish-) brown and black. The skin is shaded or stained with russet-fawn on the sunny side and around the calyx and stem. Thomas summarizes the skin as green becoming yellowish, with some russet. Hedrick calls it "a beautiful and handsome fruit"; Elliott likewise describes it as "a beautiful and excellent fruit"; Thomas rates it "handsome."
Flesh/Flavor: Whitish yellow (Downing, Elliott) or yellowish-white (Hedrick), fine, melting, a little granular around the core (Downing, Elliott) — Hedrick says "rather granular" around the core. Juicy, sweet, and perfumed (Downing, Elliott). Hedrick describes the juice as "full of saccharine juice and pleasantly perfumed." Thomas: melting, juicy, sweet, perfumed. Quality rated "good" by Hedrick, "very good" by Thomas, and "excellent" by Elliott.
Core/Seeds: Not described in source.
Season
October. Elliott specifies ripening about the middle of October.
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
View original book sources (4)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Orpheline Colmar.
One of Van Mons' Belgian Pears, as yet little known in this country. Tree vigorous, very fertile. Young wood dull olive brown.
Fruit very large, pyriform, bright green, somewhat yellow, dotted with gray, brown, and black, and shaded with russet, fawn on the sunny side, and around the calyx and stem. Flesh whitish yellow, fine, melting, a little granular around the core, juicy, sweet, and perfumed. October. (An. Pom.)
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Orpheline Colmar.
- Ann. Pom. Belge 2:177, fig. 1854.
- Mathieu Nom. Pom. 260. 1889.
The Orpheline Colmar was a gain of Van Mons a few years before his death and is a beautiful and handsome fruit. Fruit very large, pyriform and obtuse-pyramidal, clear green becoming yellow at maturity, streaked and dotted with grayish-brown and black and stained with russet-fawn on the side of the sun and around the calyx; flesh yellowish-white, fine, melting, rather granular around the core, full of saccharine juice and pleasantly perfumed; good.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Orpheline Colmar.
Foreign. Tree vigorous, very fertile. Fruit, very large, pyriform : skin, bright green, becomes somewhat yellow at maturity, striped and dotted with gray, brown, and black, and shaded with russet fawn on the sunny side, and around the calyx and stem ; flesh, whitish yellow, fine, melting, a little granular around the core, juicy, sweet, and perfumed. A beautiful and excellent fruit, ripening about the middle of October. (An. Pom.)
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Orpheline Colmar. Large, pyriform, green becoming yellowish, with some russet; melting, juicy, sweet, perfumed; handsome and very good. October. Belgian.