Rousselet Bivort
PearRousselet Bivort
Origin/History
A Belgian pear raised from a bed of seeds of Simon Bouvier sown in the grounds of the Society Van Mons at Geest-Saint-Remy, Belgium, in 1840. Described in the Annales de Pomologie Belge (4:9, fig., 1856) and later in Downing's Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (845, 1869).
Tree
Not described in source.
Fruit
Size and Form: The two sources disagree on size and form. Downing describes the fruit as medium and ovate obovate pyriform. Hedrick describes it as small and turbinate.
Stem: Rather long, with a fleshy fold at the point of insertion (Downing). Not described by Hedrick.
Cavity: Not described in source.
Calyx: Partially open (Downing). Not described by Hedrick.
Basin: Small, furrowed (Downing). Not described by Hedrick.
Skin: The two sources give complementary but partially divergent accounts. Hedrick describes the skin as smooth, bright green turning to lemon-yellow at maturity, shaded and mottled with russet-fawn especially on the side exposed to the sun, and dotted with brown-black and brown-russet. Downing describes the ground color as pale yellow (consistent with Hedrick's ripe state), the russet as slightly netted and patched (rather than Hedrick's mottled fawn), and the dots as brown.
Flesh and Flavor: Yellowish (Downing) to yellowish-white (Hedrick), fine, and melting. Downing calls the texture buttery and the taste sweet and juicy; Hedrick qualifies the butteriness as semi-buttery and describes the juice as abundant, saccharine, and agreeably perfumed in a manner recalling the scent of the Rousselets.
Core/Seeds: Not described in source.
Season
Downing places the fruit in November. Hedrick gives a broader window of October to January.
Uses
Suitable for large collections (Hedrick). Rated good to very good (Downing); good (Hedrick).
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in 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)ROUSSELET BIVORT.
A Belgian Pear, raised from seed of the Simon Bouvier in 1840.
Fruit medium, ovate obovate pyriform. Skin pale yellow, slightly netted and patched with russet, and sprinkled with brown dots. Stalk rather long, with a fleshy fold at insertion. Calyx partially open. Basin small, furrowed. Flesh yellowish, fine, juicy, buttery, melting, sweet. Good to very good. November.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Rousselet Bivort.
- Ann. Pom. Belge 4:9, fig. 1856.
- Downing Fr. Trees Am. 845. 1869.
Raised from a bed of the seeds of Simon Bouvier made in the grounds of the Society Van Mons at Geest-Saint-Remy, Bel., in 1840. Fruit small, turbinate; skin smooth, bright green turning to lemon-yellow, shaded and mottled with russet-fawn especially on the side exposed to the sun, dotted with brown-black and brown-russet; flesh yellowish-white, fine, melting, semi-buttery: juice abundant, saccharine and agreeably perfumed recalling the scent of the Rousselets; good, suitable for large collections; Oct. to Jan.