Serrurier
PearOrigin/History
Van Mons raised this variety from seed at Louvain, Belgium, about 1825 (Hedrick). It is a seedling of Professor Van Mons' (Downing). The variety is also known in the historical literature as Serrurier d'Automne, Nouveau Maison, Fondante de Millot, Nouveau Mauxion, and Fondante Serrurier de Millot (Downing).
Tree
Vigorous, healthy, and productive. Young wood light yellow-brown (Downing). No further tree characteristics described in the remaining sources.
Fruit
Size: Downing and Thomas both describe the fruit as medium. Hedrick describes it as large.
Form: Thomas describes it as conic-obovate, obtuse. Downing describes it as roundish obovate, obtuse. Hedrick gives a more variable characterization: form rather inconstant, passing from irregular ovate, swelled and much bossed, to ovate more or less globular, and mammillate at the summit.
Stem: Downing describes the stalk as medium. Thomas describes it as rather short.
Cavity: Small (Downing, Thomas). Often russeted at the cavity (Downing).
Calyx: Open (Downing).
Basin: Small (Downing). Shallow (Thomas).
Skin: Downing describes it as pale yellow with a tinge of red in the sun, considerably netted and patched with russet, and numerously sprinkled with russet dots. Thomas describes it as yellow, thickly dotted, and slightly russeted. Hedrick describes it as thick and olive-yellow, closely dotted with gray, stained with fawn around the calyx, touched with some brown russet, and occasionally vermilioned on the side exposed to the sun.
Flesh/Flavor: Downing describes the flesh as yellowish white, a little coarse, juicy, melting, vinous, and slightly astringent, rating the quality Good to Very Good. Thomas describes it as slightly granular, juicy, melting, brisk, and vinous. Hedrick describes it as whitish, melting or semi-melting, juicy, vinous and saccharine, possessing a tartish flavor and a particularly pleasant aroma, rating it first quality.
Core/Seeds: Not described in sources.
Season
Downing gives October. Thomas gives September–October. Hedrick gives October and November.
Uses
Not described in sources.
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in sources.
Other
Not described in sources.
Book Sources
Described in 3 period pomological works
View original book sources (3)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Serrurier.
Serrurier d'Automne. Nouveau Maison. Fondante de Millot. Nouveau Mauxion. Fondante Serrurier de Millot.
A seedling of Professor Van Mons'. Tree vigorous, healthy, productive. Young wood light yellow brown.
Fruit medium, roundish obovate obtuse. Skin pale yellow, with a tinge of red in the sun, considerably netted and patched with russet, and numerously sprinkled with russet dots. Stalk medium, inserted in a small cavity, often russeted. Calyx open. Basin small. Flesh yellowish white, a little coarse, juicy, melting, vinous, slightly astringent. Good to very good. October.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Serrurier.
- Downing Fr. Trees Am. 543. 1857.
- Leroy Dict. Pom. 2:660. 1869.
Van Mons obtained this variety from seed at Louvain, Bel., about 1825. Fruit large; form rather inconstant, passing from irregular ovate, swelled and much bossed, to ovate more or less globular, and mammillate at the summit; skin thick, olive-yellow, closely dotted with gray, stained with fawn around the calyx and touched with some brownrusset and occasionally vermilioned on the side exposed to the sun; flesh whitish, melting or semi-melting, juicy, vinous and saccharine, possessing a tartish flavor and a particularly pleasant aroma; first; Oct. and Nov.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Serrurier. (Fondante de Millot.) Medium, conic-obovate, obtuse; yellow, thickly dotted, slightly russeted; stalk rather short; cavity small, basin shallow; flesh slightly granular, juicy, melting, brisk, vinous. September, October.