Soueraigne (Pear)

Origin/History

First documented in John Parkinson's Theatrum Botanicum (1629). Parkinson notes personal familiarity with the variety: "that which I have scene and taste, and so termed unto me." Early nomenclatural confusion arose with the Elizabeth pear, a variety of Bon Chrétien, which some sources mistakenly identify as the Soueraigne.

Fruit

Size: Small

Color: Brownish yellow

Flesh/Flavor: "Most dainty taste" (Parkinson)

Cavity, calyx, basin, stem, form, core/seeds: Not described in source

Tree

Not described in source

Season

Not described in source

Uses

Not described in source

Subtypes/Variants

Historical sources sometimes conflate the Soueraigne with the Elizabeth pear (a Bon Chrétien type), though Parkinson distinguishes them, noting ambiguity among contemporary observers: "some doe take a kind of Bon Chretien, called the Elizabeth peare, to be the Soueraigne; how truly let others judge."

Other

Not described in source