Retour de Rome
PearRetour de Rome
Origin/History
One of Van Mons' seedlings, of Belgian origin. (Downing; Thomas confirms Belgian provenance.)
Tree
Vigorous. Young wood reddish brown, with oblong white specks. (Downing.)
Fruit
Size: Medium.
Form: Sources conflict. Downing describes the fruit as roundish obovate acute pyriform. Elliott, writing earlier, describes it as oblate, very much depressed, obscurely pyriform, and angular — a substantially different impression, emphasizing flatness and angularity rather than height. Thomas corroborates Elliott's "oblate."
Stem: Short and stout at its insertion in a small, inclined cavity.
Cavity: Small, inclined.
Calyx: Partially closed.
Basin: Round, narrow.
Skin: Yellowish, blotched with russet, and thickly sprinkled with russet dots.
Flesh/Flavor: Whitish, coarse, granular, melting, and juicy, with a rich vinous flavor, slightly astringent. Rated Good. (Downing.)
Core/Seeds: Not described in source.
Season
September.
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 3 period pomological works
View original book sources (3)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Retour de Rome.
One of Van Mons' seedlings. Tree vigorous. Young wood reddish brown, with oblong white specks.
Fruit medium, roundish obovate acute pyriform. Skin yellowish, blotched with russet, and thickly sprinkled with russet dots. Stalk short, and stout at its insertion in a small inclined cavity. Calyx partially closed, in a round narrow basin. Flesh whitish, coarse, granular, melting, juicy, with a rich vinous flavor, slightly astringent. Good. September.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Retour de Rome. Fruit, medium, oblate, very much depressed, obscurely pyriform, angular; skin, yellowish, blotched with russet and thickly sprinkled with russet dots; stalk, short, and stout at its insertion in a small inclined cavity; calyx, partially closed, in a round, narrow basin; flesh, whitish, coarse, granular, melting, juicy, with a rich vinous flavor, slightly astringent. September.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Retour de Rome. Medium, oblate, yellowish, partly russeted; granular; melting, vinous. September. Belgian.