Passe Colmar
Pear
Origin/History
Passe Colmar is a Belgian pear, raised in 1758 at Mons by the Abbé (Counsellor) Hardenpont, the Belgian priest and horticulturist. Bunyard gives the date as "about 1760." Extensively cultivated in Belgium, it acquired a great diversity of names in different localities. From Belgium it passed first to Germany toward the end of the eighteenth century, and early in the nineteenth century was taken to France. Soon after the close of the Napoleonic wars, about 1817, it was received in England, where it became one of the standard winter pears. Within a few years after its introduction in England, the variety found its way to America where, for a time, it was quite extensively grown. The American Pomological Society added Passe Colmar to its fruit-list in 1862 but dropped it in 1899. Bunyard notes that there are several pears named Passe Colmar, with and without a distinguishing adjective (Santa Claus being one); the variety here described is the one described by Leroy and long known under this name in England.
Tree
Medium in size, vigorous, upright, tall, rapid-growing, and productive; an abundant bearer. Growth is so vigorous as to be over-luxuriant — Downing notes the tree grows "almost too thriftily, making long bending shoots," and owing to this over-luxuriance the fruit is often second-rate on young trees. Elliott similarly describes "long, straggling, half drooping shoots of a lively brownish yellow." Bunyard, by contrast, describes growth as "moderate, a little spreading." The young shoots are of a dark olive yellow brown (Downing).
Trunk slender; branches medium in thickness and smoothness, reddish-brown almost entirely overspread with thick, gray scarf-skin, marked by large, conspicuous lenticels (described in Hedrick 1922 as "large, conspicuous glands"). Branchlets thick, long, light brown mingled with green, dull, smooth, pubescent only near the ends of the new growth, sprinkled with few small, raised, inconspicuous lenticels.
Leaf-buds short, plump, free, thick at the base; leaf-scars with prominent shoulders. Leaves 3 inches long (Hedrick 1921) or 3½ inches long (Hedrick 1922), 1½ inches wide, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin tipped with few small glands, finely serrate to nearly entire; petiole 2 inches long (Hedrick 1921) or 1¾ inches long (Hedrick 1922), glabrous, pinkish-green. Bunyard describes the leaves as small, oval, held out on a long pedicel, regularly serrate.
Flower-buds small, short, thick, conical, plump, free, singly as lateral buds or on very short spurs. Flowers late, showy, 1½ inches across (Hedrick 1921) or 1¾ inches across (Hedrick 1922), unusually large, in dense clusters, averaging 6 buds per cluster (Hedrick 1921) or 5 buds per cluster (Hedrick 1922); pedicels ½ inch long, thick, thinly pubescent.
The trees are hardy and as free as the average pear from blight. The variety is exceedingly variable in performance: on standard stocks and heavy soils, the trees grow so vigorously that the fruits are many but small and poor; checking vigor by dwarfing on quince or planting on poor soil suits the variety. It does not thrive on heavy, cold clay but requires a light, warm soil. With high cultivation, severe thinning, and great care it is a first-class sort; with common ordinary care it is worthless (Elliott). On old trees with high cultivation, the fruit is sometimes of the best quality (Downing).
Fruit
Size: Medium to large; rather large (Downing); 2⅝ inches long by 2½ inches wide (Hedrick 1921) or 2⅝ inches long by 2⅛ inches wide (Hedrick 1922). Bunyard gives 2½ by 3½, pyriform, nearly even.
Form: Obovate to obtuse pyriform (Downing); oblong obovate, obtuse pyriform (Elliott); obovate-obtuse-pyriform, somewhat irregular (Hedrick); pyriform, nearly even (Bunyard). Varies considerably in form.
Stem: 1 inch long, very thick (Hedrick 1921), or ¾ inch long, very thick (Hedrick 1922). Downing gives "an inch and a half long." Elliott describes it as "a little more than medium length." Bunyard describes the stem as medium, stiff and woody.
Cavity: Obtuse, shallow, narrow, russeted, slightly furrowed (Hedrick); inserted in an obtuse, uneven cavity, or sometimes without depression (Downing); set with slight depression (Elliott); inserted on level or in a slight cavity (Bunyard).
Calyx: Open (Downing) or partly open (Elliott, Hedrick); lobes separated at the base, rather narrow, acute. Bunyard: "Eye, open."
Basin: Shallow (Downing, Elliott); shallow, narrow, obtuse, gently furrowed (Hedrick); fairly deep (Bunyard).
Skin: Rather thick, granular, tender, roughish. Color yellowish green or pale green, becoming yellow or pale yellow at maturity, sprinkled or marked with brown, reddish-brown, and russet patches and nettings — especially around the stalk and calyx (Downing). Often with thin russet patches and dots (Bunyard). Dots numerous, small, russet, obscure (Hedrick).
Flesh and Flavor: Yellowish white to flesh tinged with yellow; buttery, very juicy, sweet, aromatic. Hedrick further describes the flesh as granular, tender, vinous; Bunyard as melting, sweet and perfumed, extremely juicy. The flavor is exceedingly sugary, mildly spiced with cinnamon — a flavor so unique, especially when compared with the piquant flavor most common in winter pears, that the variety is worth growing where it succeeds for the sake of diversity (Hedrick). Quality good to very good (Downing) or very good (Hedrick). Under unsuitable conditions, however, the flesh is crisp and gritty rather than buttery and fine — at the New York Station on heavy cold clay it did not thrive, and the accompanying illustration in Hedrick 1921 shows the variety at its worst rather than at its best.
Core/Seeds: Core large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, wide, plump, acute.
Season
A winter pear. Ripe December to January (Downing, Hedrick). Elliott gives November to January.
Uses
A good winter sort for home or market (Hedrick). Dessert pear (Bunyard). Worth growing where it succeeds for the sake of diversity, owing to its unique sugary, cinnamon-spiced flavor.
Subtypes/Variants
Bunyard notes that there are several pears named Passe Colmar, with and without a distinguishing adjective — Santa Claus being one. The variety described here is the one described by Leroy and long known under this name in England.
Other
The chief fault of the variety is variability of product. Downing calls it "a very variable fruit, and often poor." On unsuitable soils and under indifferent care, the pears are unattractive and poor in quality; on standard stocks and heavy soils the fruits are many but small and poor. Performance is best when vigor is checked by dwarfing on quince or by planting on poor soil, and when the trees receive high cultivation and severe thinning. Little known in America at the time of Hedrick's writing, but one of the standard winter pears in England.
Book Sources
Described in 5 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 4 catalogs (1864–1911) from England, Oregon
- St. Helena Nursery , Howell's Prairie, Marion County , Oregon — 1864
- Woodburn Nurseries , Woodburn, Marion Co. , Oregon — 1894
- 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
View original book sources (5)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Passe Colmar.
Ananas d'Hiver. Gambier. Passe Colmar Epineaux. Cellite. Colmar Gris. Colmar Preule. Passe Colmar Gris. Pucelle Condesienne. Beurre Colmar Gris, dit Precel. Bergentin. Precel. Colmar Epineaux. Fondante de Mons. Beurre Chapman. Beurre d'Argenson. Chapman's. Regintin. Colmar Bonnet. Colmar Hardenpont. Passe Colmar Vineux. Present de Malines. Colmar de Silly. Marotte Sucree Jaune. Preul. Souveraine d'Hiver. Imperatrice. Colmar Souveraine. Souveraine.
The Passe Colmar is a Belgian Pear, raised by the Counsellor Hardenpont. Vigorous growth, and abundant bearer. It grows indeed almost too thriftily making long bending shoots, and owing to this over-luxuriance the fruit is often second-rate on young trees, but on old trees, with high cultivation, it is sometimes of the best quality. It is a very variable fruit, and often poor. The young shoots are of a dark olive yellow brown.
Fruit rather large, varying considerably from obovate to obtuse pyriform. Skin rather thick, yellowish green, becoming yellow at maturity, a good deal sprinkled with brown russet, especially around the stalk and calyx. Stalk an inch and a half long, inserted in an obtuse, uneven cavity, or sometimes without depression. Calyx open. Basin shallow. Flesh yellowish white, buttery, and juicy, with a rich, sweet, aromatic flavor. Good to very good. December, January.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)PASSE COLMAR
- Trans. Lond. Hort. Soc. 5:410. 1824. 2. Lindley Guide Orch. Gard. 403. 1831. 3. Prince Pom. Man. 1:101. 1831. 4. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 444, fig. 205. 1845. 5. Gard. Chron. 185, fig. 1845. 6. Mag. Hort. 15:445, fig. 39. 1849. 7. Gard. Chron. 989. 1861. 8. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 70. 1862. 9. Pom. France 1: No. 2, Pl. 2. 1863. 10. Mas Le Verger 1:121, fig. 59. 1866-73. 11. Leroy Dict. Pom. 3:499, figs. 1869. 12. Guide Prat. 60, 293. 1876. 13. Hogg Fruit Man. 627. 1884. 14. Soc. Nat. Hort. France Pom. 436, fig. 1904. Preul's Colmar. 15. Liegel Syst. Anleit. 104. 1825. Regenlin. 16. Dochnahl Führ. Obstkunde 2:103. 1856. 17. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 268. 1889. 18. Gaucher Pom. Prak. Obst. No. 61, Pl. 88. 1894.
Little known in America, this is one of the standard winter pears in England. The fruits are exceedingly sugary, mildly spiced with cinnamon, a flavor so unique, especially when compared with the piquant flavor most common in winter pears, that the variety is worth growing where it succeeds for the sake of diversity. The chief fault of the variety is variability of product. On unsuitable soils and under indifferent care, the pears are unattractive and poor in quality. The accompanying illustration, it is to be feared, shows the variety at its worst rather than at its best, since it does not thrive on the heavy, cold clay of the Station lands. Under conditions at this Station, the flesh is crisp and gritty, rather than buttery and fine as it seems to be under more suitable conditions. The trees are very vigorous on standard stocks and heavy soils, with the result that the fruits are many but small and poor; checking vigor by dwarfing on quince or planting on poor soil suits the variety. The trees are hardy and as free as the average pear from blight. The variety is a good winter sort for home or market.
This variety was raised in 1758 at Mons by the Abbé Hardenpont, the Belgian priest and horticulturist. Extensively cultivated in Belgium, it acquired a great diversity of names in different localities. From that country it passed first to Germany toward the end of the eighteenth century, and early in the nineteenth was taken to France. Soon after the close of the Napoleonic wars, about 1817, it was received in England. Within a few years after its introduction in England, the variety found its way to America where, for a time, it was quite extensively grown. The American Pomological Society added Passe Colmar to its fruit-list in 1862 but dropped it in 1899.
Tree medium in size, vigorous, upright, tall, rapid-growing, productive; trunk slender; branches medium in thickness and smoothness, reddish-brown almost entirely overspread with thick, gray scarf-skin, marked by large, conspicuous lenticels; branchlets thick, long, light brown mingled with green, dull, smooth, pubescent only near the ends of the new growth, sprinkled with few small, raised, inconspicuous lenticels.
Leaf-buds short, plump, free, thick at the base; leaf-scars with prominent shoulders. Leaves 3 in. long, 1½ in. wide, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin tipped with few small glands, finely serrate to nearly entire; petiole 2 in. long, glabrous, pinkish-green. Flower-buds small, short, thick, conical, plump, free, singly as lateral buds or on very short spurs; flowers late, showy, 1½ in. across, unusually large, in dense clusters, average 6 buds in a cluster; pedicels ½ in. long, thick, thinly pubescent.
Fruit ripe December to January; medium in size, 2⅝ in. long, 2½ in. wide, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, somewhat irregular; stem 1 in. long, very thick; cavity obtuse, shallow, narrow, russeted, slightly furrowed; calyx partly open; lobes separated at the base, rather narrow, acute; basin shallow, narrow, obtuse, gently furrowed; skin thick, granular, tender, roughish; color greenish-yellow, sprinkled with reddish-brown and russet patches and nettings; dots numerous, small, russet, obscure; flesh tinged with yellow, granular, tender, buttery, very juicy, sweet, vinous, aromatic; quality very good. Core large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, wide, plump, acute.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Passe Colmar.
Passe Colmar Epineaux, Colmar Gris, Passe Colmar Gris, Beurre Colmar Gris, dit Precel, Precel, Fondante de Panisel, Fondante de Mons, Beurre d'Argenson, Regintin, Chapman's, Colmar de Sille, Colmar Hardenpont, Present de Malines, Marrotte Sucree Jaune, Souverain, Colmar Souverain, Gambier, Cellite, Colmar Preule, Colmar Doree, Colmar Van Mons, Colmar d'Hiver.
Foreign. Tree, vigorous, with long, stragling, half drooping shoots of a lively brownish yellow; with high culture, severe thinning, and great care, it is a first-class sort : with common ordinary care it is worthless. Fruit, medium to large, oblong obovate, obtuse pyriform, yellowish green, dull yellow when fully mature, with some russet ; stem, a little more than medium length, set with slight depression; calyx, partly open ; basin, shallow ; flesh, yellowish white, buttery, sweet, aromatic. November, January.
— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)PASSE COLMAR. Verger, I., 59. G., Regentin. Dessert, medium, 2½ by 3½, pyriform, nearly even. Pale green, smooth, changing to pale yellow, often with thin russet patches and dots. Flesh, yellowish-white, melting, sweet and perfumed, extremely juicy. Eye, open in a fairly deep basin. Stem, medium, stiff and woody, inserted on level or in a slight cavity. Growth, moderate, a little spreading, leaves small, oval, held out on a long pedicel, regularly serrate. Origin, raised by the Abbé Hardenpont at Mons about 1760. There are several Pears named Passe Colmar, with and without a distinguishing adjective, Santa Claus being one (q.v.). This, however, is the variety described by Leroy and long known under this name in England.
— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)PASSE COLMAR. This is one of the standard winter pears in England. The fruits are exceedingly sugary and mildly spiced with cinnamon, a flavor so unique, especially when compared with the piquant flavor most common in winter pears, that the variety is worth growing where it succeeds for the sake of diversity. On unsuitable soils and under indifferent care, the pears are unattractive and poor in quality. The variety does not thrive on heavy cold clay but requires a light, warm soil. The trees are very vigorous on heavy soils, with the result that the fruits are many but small and poor; checking vigor by dwarfing on quince or planting on poor soil suits the variety. The trees are hardy and as free as the average pear from blight. The variety is a good winter sort for home or market.
This variety was raised in 1758 at Mons, Belgium, by the Abbe Hardenpont.
Tree vigorous, upright, tall, rapid-growing, productive; trunk slender; branches reddish-brown, marked by large, conspicuous glands. Leaves 3½ inches long, 1½ inches wide, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin tipped with few small glands, finely serrate to nearly entire; petiole 1¾ inches long, glabrous, pinkish-green. Flowers late, showy, 1¾ inches across, unusually large, in dense clusters, average 5 buds in a cluster. Fruit ripe December-January; 2⅝ inches long, 2⅛ inches wide, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, somewhat irregular; stem ¾ inch long, very thick; cavity obtuse, shallow, narrow, russeted, furrowed; calyx partly open; lobes separated at the base, narrow, acute; basin shallow, narrow, obtuse, gently furrowed; skin thick, granular, tender, roughish; color greenish-yellow, with reddish-brown and russet patches and nettings; dots numerous, small, russet, obscure; flesh tinged with yellow, granular, tender, buttery, very juicy, sweet, vinous, aromatic; quality very good; core large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, wide, plump, acute.