Reine des Poires
PearReine des Poires
Origin / History
French pear, of Belgian origin. The Count de Coloma came into possession of the garden of the Nunnery of the Riches-Claires, Mechlin, Bel., directly after the suppression of the order in 1786, and two years later made seed beds from which were raised, among other good varieties, the Reine des Poires. Described in Manning, Book of Fruits, p. 84 (1828), and Leroy, Dictionnaire de Pomologie, 2:581, with figure (1869). Downing calls it "A French Pear, of poor quality."
Tree
Not described in source.
Fruit
Size: Medium or above (Downing); below medium (Hedrick).
Form: Obovate pyriform (Downing); turbinate-ovate but irregular in form (Hedrick).
Stem: Not described in source.
Cavity: Not described in source.
Calyx: Not described in source.
Basin: Not described in source.
Skin: Pale yellow, shaded and mottled with crimson in the sun (Downing). Rather thick and yet tender, green changing to yellow, much covered with a brownish-red russet (Hedrick).
Dots: Small brown points on the green skin (Hedrick).
Flesh and flavor: Flesh white, coarse, breaking, not juicy (Downing); whitish, semi-fine, melting, the juice abundant, saccharine and acidulous, with an exquisite perfume (Hedrick). Quality "first" (Hedrick); "Scarcely good except for cooking" (Downing).
Core and seeds: Not described in source.
Season
October.
Uses
Scarcely good except for cooking (Downing).
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 2 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 1 catalog (1845) from Massachusetts
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845
View original book sources (2)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Reine des Poires.
A French Pear, of poor quality.
Fruit medium or above, obovate pyriform. Skin pale yellow, shaded and mottled with crimson in the sun. Flesh white, coarse, breaking, not juicy. Scarcely good except for cooking. October.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Reine des Poires.
- Manning Book of Fruits 84. 1828.
- Leroy Dict. Pom. 2:581, fig. 1869.
The Count de Coloma came into possession of the garden of the Nunnery of the Riches-Claires, Mechlin, Bel., directly after the suppression of the order in 1786 and two years later made seed beds from which were raised, among other good varieties, the Reine des Poires.
Fruit below medium, turbinate-ovate but irregular in form; skin rather thick and yet tender, green dotted with small brown points, changing to yellow, much covered with a brownish-red russet; flesh whitish, semi-fine, melting; juice abundant, saccharine and acidulous, with an exquisite perfume; first; Oct.