Prince Napoleon
PearPrince Napoleon
Origin/History
Raised by M. Boisbunel of Rouen, France, from seed of the Passe Crassane in 1864 (Hedrick). Downing also credits Boisbunel of Rouen as the introducer.
Tree
Moderately vigorous and very productive. Young wood dull brown, slightly reddish (Downing). Not further described in Hedrick.
Fruit
Size: Medium, and sometimes above (Hedrick); medium (Downing).
Form: Globular, rarely regular, and often mammillate at the top (Hedrick). Roundish and slightly pyriform (Downing).
Stem: Short and stout (Downing). Not described in Hedrick.
Cavity: Not described in either source.
Calyx: Not described in either source.
Basin: Not described in either source.
Skin: The two sources disagree on the base color. Downing describes the fruit as dull greenish, much shaded with thin brown russet and russet patches. Hedrick describes it as olive-yellow, covered largely with mottlings of brown and sprinkled with indistinct gray dots.
Flesh/Flavor: Greenish white, fine, juicy, sweet, and perfumed (Downing). White-greenish or yellowish, semi-fine, semi-melting; juice sufficient, saccharine, vinous, with a delicate perfume (Hedrick). The sources broadly agree on the perfumed, sweet character but differ on texture: Downing calls the flesh fine, while Hedrick describes it as semi-fine and semi-melting.
Core/Seeds: Not described in either source.
Season
The sources disagree. Downing gives December (citing Verger). Hedrick gives February and March.
Uses
First quality (Hedrick).
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in either source.
Other
Not described in either source.
Book Sources
Described in 2 period pomological works
View original book sources (2)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Prince Napoleon.
Introduced by M. Boisbunel, Rouen, France. Tree moderately vigorous and very productive. Young wood dull brown, slightly reddish.
Fruit medium, roundish, slightly pyriform, dull greenish, much shaded with thin brown russet, and russet patches. Stalk short, stout. Flesh greenish white, fine, juicy, sweet, perfumed. December. (Verg.)
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Prince Napoleon, i. Leroy Diet. Pom. 2:556, fig. 1869. 2. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 837. 1869.
Raised by M. Boisbunel, Rouen, Fr., from seed of the Passe Crassane in 1864. Fruit medium and sometimes above, globular, rarely regular and often mammillate at the top, olive-yellow, covered largely with mottlings of brown and sprinkled with indistinct gray dots; flesh white-greenish or yellowish, semi-fine, semi-melting; juice sufficient, saccharine, vinous, with a delicate perfume; first; Feb. and Mar.