Sucre Vert
Pear
Sucre Vert
Origin / History
An old pear of disputed or unknown origin. Coxe (1817) states the pear came from France. Downing (1900) calls it "an old Pear, of unknown origin." Hedrick (1921), citing Duhamel (1768), Leroy (1869), and Hogg (1884), reports it is said to have come from Barmont, a chateau situated on the border of Burgundy, and that it was well known in Paris in 1670. Elliott (1865), listing it as "Green Sugar" with the synonym "Prince's Green Sugar," characterizes it as "American" — conflicting with the French/Burgundian origin given by the other authorities.
Tree
Coxe: of vigorous growth. Other sources do not describe the tree.
Fruit
Size: Coxe: moderate size. Downing: medium or small. Thomas: rather small. Elliott: medium. Hedrick: medium or below.
Form: Coxe: round, a little oblong — the blossom end flat, towards the stalk a little diminished. Downing: obovate pyriform. Elliott: roundish obovate. Thomas: oblate turbinate. Hedrick: globular-turbinate.
Stem / Stalk: Coxe: large, about an inch in length. Downing: medium, fleshy at its insertion in a very slight cavity.
Cavity: Downing: very slight (at stalk insertion).
Eye / Basin: Coxe: the eye sunk but little below the surrounding part. Downing: basin shallow.
Skin: Coxe: smooth and green. Downing: green. Elliott: yellowish green. Thomas: green. Hedrick: shining, intense green, dotted with numerous gray and green dots, a little whitened on the shaded side, yellowish when ripe.
Flesh / Flavor: Coxe: flesh buttery; the juice sweet and well tasted. Downing: juicy, melting, sweet, and pleasant; quality "Good." Thomas: juicy, melting, pleasant. Hedrick: yellowish-white, buttery, melting, semi-fine, with some grit about the center; juice plentiful, sugary, slightly perfumed; "excellent but variable."
Core / Seeds: Not described in source, beyond Hedrick's mention of "some grit about the center."
Season
Coxe: ripens in October. Downing: October. Elliott: August, September. Thomas: October. Hedrick: October.
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Hedrick's earliest cited reference is Duhamel, Traité des Arbres Fruitiers 2:189, Pl. XXXIV (1768), with additional citations to Leroy, Dictionnaire de Pomologie 2:677 fig. (1869) and Hogg, Fruit Manual 649 (1884). Coxe assigns the variety the number 31 in his catalog ("No. 31. Sucré Vert, or Sugared Green").
Book Sources
Described in 5 period pomological works
- Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817) — listed as No. 31. Sucré Vert, or Sugared Green
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)
- Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921) — listed as Sucre-Vert
- Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865) — listed as Green Sugar
- Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903) — listed as Green Sugar
View original book sources (5)
— William Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817)No. 31. Sucré Vert, or Sugared Green.
[Additional entry in this volume: "Sucre Vert, Or Green Sugar Pear", pp. 298–298]
- SUCRE VERT, OR GREEN SUGAR PEAR.
This pear came from France; it is of moderate size; the form round, a little oblong—the blossom end flat, the eye sunk but little below the surrounding part, towards the stalk it is a little diminished; the stem large, about an inch in length—the skin is smooth and green—the flesh buttery, the juice sweet and well tasted—it ripens in October. The tree is of vigorous growth.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Green Sugar. Prince's Green Sugar. American. Medium, roundish obovate, yellowish green. August, September.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)SUCRE VERT.
Green Sugar. Bayonnaise. Gris de Chine. Verdette. Sucrée d'Automne.
An old Pear, of unknown origin.
Fruit medium or small, obovate pyriform. Skin green. Stalk medium, fleshy at its insertion in a very slight cavity. Basin shallow. Flesh juicy, melting, sweet, and pleasant. Good. October.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Green Sugar. Rather small, oblate turbinate, green; juicy, melting, pleasant. October.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Sucre-Vert.
- Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. 2:189. Pl. XXXIV. 1768. 2. Leroy Diet. Pom. 2:677, fig. 1869. 3. Hogg Fruit Man. 649. 1884.
Said to have come from Barmont, a chateau situated on the border of Burgundy. It was well known in Paris in 1670. Fruit medium or below, globular-turbinate; skin shining, intense green, dotted with numerous gray and green dots, a little whitened on the shaded side, yellowish when ripe; flesh yellowish-white, buttery, melting, semi-fine, some grit about the center; juice plentiful, sugary, slightly perfumed; excellent but variable; Oct.