Saint Nicholas

Pear

Saint Nicholas Pear

Origin / History

Not described in source.

Tree

Not described in source.

Fruit

Size: Large; three inches and a half long by two and a quarter in diameter.

Form: Oblong pyriform, the flesh tapering gradually into the stem.

Stem: Short, thick, wrinkled at the base, curved.

Calyx: Small, open, set in a broad flat basin.

Skin: Greenish yellow, clouded with a thin covering of russet.

Flesh & Flavor: Melting and juicy. Flavor is rich sub-acid, slightly perfumed, with some astringency next the skin.

Core & Seeds: Not described in source.

Season

October, first to fifteenth.

Quality

Very good.

Uses

Should this variety prove good as a standard, it will be a desirable market fruit.

Variants & Nomenclature

French catalogues describe the Saint Nicholas as "petit" (small), but the variety has uniformly borne large fruit in American cultivation, suggesting possible environmental or strain variation.

Source: B. Desportes, The Horticulturist, 1856

Book Sources

Described in 1 period pomological work

The Horticulturist (1855)

View original book sources (1)

Saint Nicholas.—Size—large, three inches and a half long by two and a quarter in diameter. Form—oblong pyriform, the flesh tapering gradually into the stem. Stem—short, thick, wrinkled at the base, curved. Calyx—small, open, in broad flat basin. Color—greenish yellow, clouded with a thin covering of russet. Flesh—melting and juicy. Flavor—rich sub-acid, slightly perfumed, with some astringency next the skin. Season—October, first to fifteenth. Quality—"very good."

Should this variety prove good as a standard, it will be a desirable market fruit. The French catalogues describe the size of the Saint Nicholas as "petit," small, but it has here uniformly borne large fruit.

— B. Desportes, The Horticulturist (1856)