Parfum d'Aout
PearParfum d'Aout
Origin and History
An old variety described under this name by Jean Merlet in 1675 and 1690, and afterwards by Duhamel in 1768. It probably originated in the village of Berny, not far from Paris. Leroy figures it in his Dictionnaire de Pomologie (1869). Downing regarded it as of little value.
Tree
No tree characteristics recorded in the consulted sources.
Fruit
Size and Form: Small. Long, nearly pyriform, enlarged on one side more than the other at the lower end (Hedrick). Downing describes the form simply as pyriform.
Stem, Cavity, Calyx, Basin: Not described in the consulted sources.
Skin: Smooth (Hedrick). Pale yellow, slightly tinged with green (Hedrick); Downing describes the ground color as light yellow. Covered with dots and small speckles of fawn (Hedrick); Downing notes many dark yellow dots. The side exposed to the sun is tinged with a beautiful red (Hedrick); Downing describes this blush as deep red — the two sources agree on sun-exposed red coloring but differ in intensity.
Flesh and Flavor: White. Hedrick describes the texture as semi-fine, breaking or semi-breaking, with some grit around the core; Downing describes it as rather coarse — these accounts are in mild conflict. Juice rarely abundant (Hedrick); Downing describes the fruit as juicy — these accounts conflict directly. The juice is saccharine and sweet, with a perfume of musky-anis (Hedrick); Downing similarly notes a musky character. Quality rated "second" by Hedrick; Downing considers it "hardly good."
Season
August; end of August (Hedrick).
Uses
Not specifically described. Downing's characterization as of little value and "hardly good" implies it was not considered worth cultivation by the late nineteenth century.
Book Sources
Described in 2 period pomological works
View original book sources (2)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Parfum d'Aout.
Perfumed. August Perfume.
An old sort, of little value.
Fruit small, pyriform, light yellow, deep red in the sun, with many dark yellow dots. Flesh white, rather coarse, musky, juicy. Hardly good. August.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Parfum d'Aout.
- Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. 2:136. 1768.
- Leroy Diet. Pom. 2:496, fig. 1869.
The Parfum d'Aout described here is the variety described under that name by Jean Merlet in 1675 and 1690 and afterwards by Duhamel in 1768. It probably originated in the village of Berny, not far from Paris. Fruit small, long, nearly pyriform, enlarged on one side more than the other at the lower end; skin smooth, pale yellow, slightly tinged with green, covered with dots and small speckles of fawn, tinged with a beautiful red on the side exposed to the sun; flesh white, semi-fine, breaking or semi-breaking, some grit around the core; juice rarely abundant, saccharine, sweet, with a perfume of musky-anis; second; end of Aug.