Skinless
PearSkinless
Origin / History
The Skinless, or Poire sans Peau, is described by William Coxe in A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817), where it appears as the seventh entry under the heading "The Skinless, or Poire sans Peau." The variety is named for its thin, smooth skin.
Tree
The tree and foliage are of delicate growth.
Fruit
Size: About that of the early Catharine.
Form: Not described in source.
Stem: Long and small.
Cavity: Not described in source.
Calyx: Not described in source.
Basin: Not described in source.
Skin: Smooth and very thin. Colour a greenish yellow, with a little blush, scarcely perceptible.
Dots: Not described in source.
Flesh and flavor: Juicy, breaking rather than melting, of a pleasant sweet taste, very attractive to wasps and bees.
Core and seeds: Not described in source.
Season
The time of ripening is about the end of July.
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Coxe's account lists the Skinless with the early Catharine as its size reference, indicating that the early Catharine was familiar to his readers as a standard of comparison.
Book Sources
Described in 1 period pomological work
- Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817) — listed as Skinless, Or Poire Sans Peau
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 2 catalogs (1845–1849) from Massachusetts
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845
- Hovey & Co. , Cambridge , Massachusetts — 1849
View original book sources (1)
— William Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817)
- THE SKINLESS, OR POIRE SANS PEAU.
The size of this pear is about that of the early Catharine---the skin is smooth and very thin---the colour a greenish yellow, with a little blush, scarcely perceptible; the stem is long and small---the flesh juicy, and breaking rather than melting, of a pleasant sweet taste, very attractive to wasps and bees---the tree and foliage are of delicate growth---the time of ripening about the end of July.