Item Synonyms Description
Abas Beki A dessert pear from Russia.
Abate Fetel Originally of France, it was obtained by the abbot Fetel – hence the name – who started working on it in 1865, when he was the priest of Chessy, Rhône, and using several local cultivars as a starting point. Fetel was later transferred to Charentay, where he continued his hybridisations, ultimately obtaining the 'Abate Fetel' after a few years. The 'Abate Fetel' pear is the most produced and exported pear cultivar in Italy. In Italy the 'Abate Fetel' is usually harvested in September; it maintains its quality for up to 23 weeks of cold storage. A characteristic feature is its elongated shape which is easily recognizable by consumers.
Abb Ftel A high quality and very sweet dessert pear.
Alexander Lucas
Alexandre Lambr A high quality dessert pear, developed by Belgian enthusiast Van Mons, with the classic buttery melting flesh. Ripens late and needs a warm climate for best results.
Ambrosia Pear An early midseason, very large, productive, green pear with exceptional texture and quality. Bears annually with high tolerance to fire blight. Huge, golden-brown fruit, often blushed with soft pink, is ready for harvest in mid to late Aug.
Ananas de Courtrai A juicy sweet-flavored Belgian pear with classic buttery melting flesh. Ripens early season.
Atlantic Queen This old time pear cultivar earns its royal appellation for the huge, up to 1-1/2 lb. each, yellow-green fruit it produces in abundance. Enjoy the melting, juicy, aromatic flesh even when grown under adverse conditions. Shows resistance to fireblight. Ripens in September. Needs pollinizer.
Aurora Large, early season Dessert Pear with superior flavor.
Autumn Nelis An English pear, with juicy buttery melting flesh. Ripens late-season, but does not keep. The tree is hardy and heavy-cropping. The leaves turn an attractive dark red in the fall.
Ayer's This old variety is favored in the South as the "sugar" pear because the pulp tastes like candy. The tree is fire blight resistant and the medium size fruit is yellow with a red blush. It blooms early and ripens in September. It has a high chill requirement and has proven to do well in the Pacific Northwest. USDA Zones 5-8.
Bambinella
Barland One of the most popular Perry Pears, the Barland Cider Pear Tree has been grown in England since the 17th century.
Barnet Gin is a rare but excellent perry variety for resistance to scab and canker. Heavy cropping medium sized fruits, green in color with a slight orange flush and almost round in appearance. Acid and tannin to taste and good keeping quality.
Barnett A small, mid season russetted scab-resistant pear with low acids and tannins. Trees have an upright habit with compact growth. Mix with others in 'perry'. Biennial bearing; precocious and late flowering.
Baronne de Mello A beautiful golden brown russet pear, and one of the most popular of the numerous pears developed by Belgian pear enthusiast Van Mons. It ripens late and needs a good climate for best results.
Bartlett Bartlett, also widely known as Williams Bon Chretien, is one of the most widely-grown of all pear varieties.
Beierschmitt Firm, tender, very juicy, highly aromatic. Skin is thin and tender, greenish-yellow to clear pale yellow when ripened, with slight russet.
Bella Di Guigno Rich, buttery Italian pear which ripens in late June. Red blushed three inch long fruit cover this sturdy, easy to care for tree.
Belle Poitevine French pear. Keeps better than bartlett
Beth A modern English pear, excellent flavor, and easy to grow.
Beurr Bosc A widely-grown French pear, with firm buttery flesh and golden russeted skin.
Beurr Capiaumont An old Belgian pear, with a rich sweet flavor. Ripens late. Easy to grow in warm or temperate climates.
Beurr d'Arenberg A well-known traditional French dessert pear, with a very good sweet floral flavor.
Beurr Duval A classic Belgian late-season dessert pear, often with a red-flushed skin. Buttery melting sweet flesh.
Beurre Hardy
Beurre Superfin A highly-regarded traditional late-season French pear. Fruits keep until December, and the tree is productive in both cool and warm climates.
Beurr Hardy EMLA Beurre Hardy is one of the best traditional French pears, highly regarded for its excellent flavor.
Black Worcester England – a cooking pear that keeps well
Blake's Pride A reliable harvest of aromatic, juicy fruit that melts in your mouth and excellent resistance to fireblight give this recent USDA introduction plenty to be proud of. Yellow-to-golden skinned with some light russetting, pears are ready to harvest in September.
Bon Rouge
Bosc A firm fleshed flavorful pear with a beautiful brownish russetted skin and a crunchy texture. Some prefer it to the smooth texture of Comice. Very sweet and juicy. Outstanding in the Pacific Northwest. Tastes best after storing a month or two.
Brandy The Brandy Cider Pear Tree is prized for its attractive, russeted, and red blushed fruit. You can use it alone to make a medium-acid cider or you can blend it with Barland for a sharper flavored juice. Site and Soil: European Pears like full to 1/2 day sun and well-drained soil.
Bristol Cross A heavy-cropping cross of two classic English pears, Bartlett and Conference.
Broom Park A traditional English winter dessert pear. The flesh has a rich sweet flavor.
Buerre Superfin Beurre Superfin is a high quality pear that grows especially well in warm sheltered sites. Better than average fruit quality, medium size, mid-green turning yellow with many light brown russet patches and slightly rough skin. One of the most outstanding flavoured pears with its pale, yellow, melting flesh that has a delicious scented taste.
Butirra Precoce Morettini An amazing find, this sweet, spicy pear is large in size, yellow-green with a beautiful red blush. It ripens and sets large crops in early August. The flavor is unmatched; rich and buttery. The vigorous tree is a heavy and regular cropper. Needs a pollenizer.
Butt An October ripening pear with moderate acids and tannins that produces fruity, slightly astringent of good quality. Fruit is small, yellow, slightly russetted with excellent keeping quality prior to milling. A vigorous tree with narrow-angled crotches. Biennial bearing and heavy producer. Needs a late blooming European Pear.
Calebasse Bosc A synonym for Beurré Bosc.
Carmen
Cascade Cascade is a red skinned pear that is a cross of Red Bartlett and Comice bred at the Oregon State U. Medford station. It has good flavor and ripens in late September. It does well in the pacific Northwest. It blooms with Conference and is pollinized by early and mid season blooming pears.
Catillac A traditional late-season French culinary pear, dating from the reign of Louis XIV.
Churchland
Clairgeau
Clapp's Favorite An attractive and well-known 19th century American pear. It ripens early season, and does not keep.
Clara Frijs
Claude Blanchet
Comice A large yellow pear with sweet juicy melting flesh. It provides the flavor standard by which to measure all others. Harvest early October. Tastes best after storing a month at room temperature. Fireblight resistant. Needs pollenizer.
Concorde England – a seedling of Conference × Doyenne du Comice
Conference The most well-known of English pears. England, 1894
Corella
Coscia
D'Anjou
Dave's Delight A very attractive, high quality early to mid season ripening dessert pear bred in Nova Scotia Canada. It has also proven a winner in the Pacific Northwest. The aromatic fruit is yellow with a red blush and is fine textured and buttery like its parent Bartlett. Released in 1986 from the Kentville Ag Canada station. It's parents are Beierschmidt x Bartlett.
Dessertnaja
Doctor Lentier A high quality Belgian dessert late season pear, from the early 19th century. It has the characteristic melting sweet rich flesh so typical of Belgian pears from this era.
Don Guindo Spain – strong yellow, flavoured taste
Doyenn du Comice Often considered the best-flavored of all pears, with juicy melting buttery flesh.
Doyenne d'Ete One of the earliest-ripening summer pears, developed by famous 19th century Belgian pear breeder Van Mons.
Doyenne du Comice
Doyenne Gris Sweet, spicy flavor, equal to Bosc in dessert quality." It lists no damage for scab and rust. Moderately susceptible to fire blight.
Dr. Jules Guyot
Duchesse d'Angouleme A russetted French heritage pear prized for its large size and rich juicy flavor since 1815. It blooms with Conference and ripens in October. An upright, vigorous, hardy tree.
Durondeau An attractive late-season blushed pear, often with red-colored leaves in the fall.
Earlibrite
Elektra
Emile D’Heyst Emile D Heyst is one of the most reliable pears cropping heavy light green, medium size fruits that turn to yellowish green. Some solid and some mottled areas of russet. The flesh is green under the skin turning yellow in the centre and has a moderately juicy, sweet subacid flavor.
Fertility A late-season English pear, juicy sweet firm flesh, and easy to grow.
Flemish Beauty also called Fondante des Bois
Fondante d'Automne A late-season fondant pear, named for its sugary sweet aromatic flesh.
Forelle
Frangipane An old late-season French dessert pear, with a melting sweet flavor allegedly reminscent of frangipane.
General Leclerc
Gerburg
Giffard
Gin Gin is a rare but excellent perry variety for resistance to scab and canker. Heavy cropping medium sized fruits, green in color with a slight orange flush and almost round in appearance. Acid and tannin to taste and good keeping quality.
Glou Moreau An old Belgian pear with a delicate sweet flavor, and a forerunner of great explosion of Belgian pear varieties in the early 19th century. Succeeds best in a warm climate. Originated in Belgium in 1750.
Golden Spice Cold Hardy to USDA Zone 3, An upright oval headed tree with glossy dark green leaves that turn orange in the fall. White flowers followed by 5cm yellow pears with a dull red blush. Firm, juicy fruit ripens in mid-September good for canning and preserves.
Gorham Developed in New York, but very much in the European style. Good flavor and versatile, can be considered an improved Bartlett.
Hacon's Incomparable A traditional high quality English pear, raised in Norfolk in at the start of the 19th century.
Harobig
Harovin Sundown
Harrow Crisp
Harrow Delight A heavy setting, medium size pear with very good flavor and smooth texture. It is from Ontario, Canada, hardy to at least USDA Zone 4 and resistant to fireblight and scab. Fruit ripens in early September. A proven winner at the Mt. Vernon station.
Harrow Gold
Harrow Red
Harrow Sweet
Harvest Queen
Hendre Huffcapp It has a balance of tannin and acidity that makes it an ideal pear from which to make a single-varietal 'perry' pear cider. Tree habit is extremely upright. Ripens in October. Needs a early blooming European Pear.
Hermann
Highland The highest quality keeper pear, it thrives throughout the nation. This large, attractive dessert pear is yellow with some russetting. The flesh is very smooth in texture and rich in flavor. Trees are very hardy, of moderate vigor and very productive.The fruit matures in early October and developes its best quality if stored about a month. Ripen the fruit on your counter through Christmas. Highland was developed at the Geneva staion in New York state.
Honey Sweet A smooth, buttery pear, similar to the well-known Seckel pear, but larger, Honey Sweet ripens to a golden russet late in the season. Trees will set fruit without a pollinizer, but fruit will be bigger if cross-pollinated. Honey Sweet is resistant to fireblight and to leaf spotting diseases, making it great for home gardens and local markets.
Hood Hood pears are large, soft fruit that ripen in late summer. The pears are greenish-yellow, crisp, and juicy and can be eaten fresh or canned. The Hood Pear tree has a low chill for the South, requiring only 100-200 chill hours. Flordahome is the recommended pollinator. Hood Pear trees are, however, susceptible to leaf spot and fire blight. At maturity, it can reach a height between 15-20 feet and a width of 12-15 feet. USDA ZONES: Zone 7, Zone 8, Zone 9.
Hortensia
Huntington Pear
Isolda
Johantorp A very late ripening and cold hardy pear widely grown in Sweden for winter storage. Johantorp will hang on the tree late into the winter. They can be picked in very late fall and stored or in areas with mild winters, eaten directly off the tree at Christmas time.
Josphine de Malines Juicy, sweet, vinous, floral melting flesh - this is perhaps the essential Belgian pear. Ripens late and keeps very well. Obtained by Esperen, pomologist and mayor of Malines in the 19th century; one of the best late season pears
Kieffer A popular North American pear variety, thought to be a seedling of Bartlett (Williams). Like Bartlett it was widely grown for commercial processing. A major reason for its popularity was a near-magical resistance to fireblight.
La France
Lategale
Laxton's Superb England; no longer widely grown commercially due to high susceptibility to fireblight
Le Conte
Louise Bonne of Jersey A pretty flushed French pear with a sweet vinous flavor, and buttery melting flesh.
Luscious
Madame Treyve A traditional French mid-season pear, with a very juicy and sweet flavor.
Magness A medium-sized pear ripening just after Seckel. Skin is greenish-brown, covered with light russet. Flesh is soft, juicy and almost free of grit cells. Flavor is sweet and of excellent quality. Tree is vigorous, spreading and resistant to fire blight. Magness does not produce good pollen and should not be used as a pollenizer.
Maxie Asian x European Pear This cross between Max Red Bartlett European and Nijissiki Asian pears provides the delicious Bartlett flavor with the crisp, juiciy flavor of Nijisseki, The fruit is round and a beautiful orange red. It ripens in September and is pollinized by late ripening Asian or early ripening European pear cultivars. It is resistant to pear scab. USDA Zones 5-9.
Max Red Bartlett All the flavor of Bartlett with exceptional sweetness. Bright-red skin makes a dramatic addition to salads and other recipes. Tree grows rapidly and bears early. Sport of Bartlett.
Merton Pride An English pear from the 1940s, quite widely grown in gardens. Can be considered an improved Bartlett.
Moonglow An early attempt to a develop a fireblight-resistant pear. Good flavors from its excellent European pear pedigree.
Nye Russet Barlett A bud mutation of Bartlett discovered in Oregon in 1924. Like Bartlett but with a golden russet skin. It ripens a week before Bartlett.
Old Home An American pear variety with natural fireblight resistance, often used as a pear rootstock for this reason.
Onward Organic English gardeners love Onward for its ease of growing and reliability of production even in years with untimely spring frosts. The medium size fruit is yellow when ripe in early September and sometimes russetted. It's a heavy, precocious cropper with a rich sweet juicy flavor. It blooms mid season with Comice but it will not pollinize or be pollinized by Comice.
Orcas Horticulturalist Joe Long discovered this tree growing on his property on Orcas Island, Washington and it has become a regional favorite. The fruit is large, flavorful, scab resistant and loaded each year with yellow fruit with a carmine blush. The tree has a vigorous, spreading habit. The pears are great for canning, drying or eating fresh. The fruit matures in early September. Raintree has an exclusive agreement to propagate this outstanding variety.
Orient The Orient pear is a cross breed of an Asian pear and European. As a result of the blend, it offers some appealing attributes and a reputation for beauty. It is blight resistant and bears heavy crops. Large, round and yellow in color, Orient pears still offer the familiar sweet taste of their European cousins. The fruit has a thick skin over a creamy, fine flesh with a sweet but mild flavor.
Packham's Triumph A commercially important Australian pear variety. Good flavor and reliable cropping. Originated in Australia, 1896
Parsonage
Passe Crassane A variety developed by M. Boisbunel, a nurseryman from Rouen, France
Patten Patten Pear is a medium-sized tree that is typically grown for its edible qualities. It produces yellow oblong pears (which are botanically known as 'pomes') with a red blush and white flesh which are usually ready for picking in early fall. The pears have a sweet taste and a juicy texture.
Perdue The Perdue Pear Tree is a new, patented cultivar that miraculously sprouted from seed at the Perdue family farm in Rosendale, Louisiana. Perdue Pears are of exceptional quality, with a deliciously sweet pear flavor. The Perdue Pear flavor has been described as creamy, sweet, and even reminiscent of the Golden Delicious Apple. The Perdue produces very juicey, sweet pears, and has noticeably less grit cells than traditional southern pears. Perdue Pear fruits are large greenish-yellow pears that have smooth, slightly blotched skin, and a typical pear shape. In early August, they are ready to eat as firm, green pears but will gradually ripen to a golden brown, soft pear, if preferred. The Perdue Pear Tree is large (20') with strong limbs that grow at wide angles, and usually don't require support. Perdue Pear bears abundant clusters annually and no fire blight has been observed. The L.S.U. horticulturalists believe it to be self-fertile but a pollinator is recommended for max production
Pineapple The Pineapple Pear is a pollinator. This pear tree has large yellow fruit with red blush. It’s crisp flesh has unusual pineapple flavor. The Pineapple Pear tree is a good variety for the deep south. The pear tree bears a large crop at an early age and can reach a height of 15-20 feet. The Pineapple pear is Self- fruitful but bears better with second variety. This pear tree is blight resistant and ripens in August.
Pitmaston Duchess A popular late-season 19th century English pear.
Potomac Introduced in 1993 from the Kearneysville, WV USDA station, this high quality pear ripens in mid-September. Fruit is sweet and buttery and extremely juicy. Tree is vigorous and fairly precocious. Pollinates with other European pears and is fire blight resistant. A Moonglow-Anjou cross, it is one of the highest quality fireblight resistant varieties available.
Princess An English pear, from the famous Rivers Nursery.
Red Bartlett All the flavor of Bartlett with exceptional sweetness. Bright-red skin makes a dramatic addition to salads and other recipes. Tree grows rapidly and bears early. Sport of Bartlett. Cold-hardy. Introduced circa 1946. Harvest in August.
Red Clapps Also called 'Red Kalle'. This large pear from Michigan is beautiful with amazing reddish purple fruit hanging like jewels from the tree. The fruit is sweet and flavorful. It thrives in the Pacific Northwest and in much of the nation. It is one of the first ripen in early September. It blooms in mid season and is a good pollinizer.
Red Pear Red Pear is an old popular variety. Produces heavy crops of low acid and low tannin perry pears of good average quality. Keeps well after harvest. Grown on a wide commercial scale throughout Herefordshire and Worcestershire for over 400 years. History: Originated from the National Perry Pear Collection in Malvern during the 16th century.
Robin A pretty small mid-season dessert pear, which can also be used for cooking, named after its attractive red-flushed skin.
Rocha
Rosemarie
Russet Comice Sweet buttery flavor of Comice in a pear with a beautiful brown russetted skin. Russet Comice has proven to thrive in the maritime Pacific Northwest and does well where Comice thrives. It will not fully russet in hot summer climates and it is not as vigorous a grower as Comice. It blooms late season with Comice and ripens mid season.
Schweizer Wasserbirne Scab resistant Perry Pear of Swiss origin
Seckel One of the earliest known American pears, it remains highly regarded for flavor and its attractive appearance. Originated in late 17th century Philadelphia area.
Spalding If you like the crunchy juicy, sweetness of an Asian pear and the mellow complex flavor of a European pear, you will love Spalding. A healthy, vigorous tree produces loads of medium size, round,light green fruit in early September. Originally from the South, it thrives in the Pacific Northwest. This European pear is reportedly self fertile and fireblight resistant.
Starkrimson Also called Red Clapp's, is a red-skinned 1939 Michigan bud mutation of Clapp's Favourite. Its thick, smooth skin is a uniform, bright and intense red, and its creamy flesh is sweet and aromatic.
Stinking Bishop
Stuttgarter Geishirtle A German pear. This sweet two inch diameter russeted pear will hang on the tree, ready to eat during August. Its a very heavy annual bearer of delicious lunch size fruit. The name means 'little goat herder' Needs a pollenizer.
Sudduth
Summer Beauty
Summer Blood Birne A red flesh or "blood" pear that is scab resistant and produces fruit with a pleasing cinnamon like flavor. It is an ancient cultivar thought to have originated in Germany. A favorite in the National Pear collection.
Summercrisp
Summer Doyenne A synonym for Doyenne d'Ete.
Taylor's Gold New Zealand – a russeted mutant clone of Comice
Taynton Squash Old, finest quality Perry Pear with sweet, rich, distinctive flavor Greenish-yellow fruit may occasionally show a slight flush. Medium Acid and Tannin Heavy, biennial-tending, early season crop Susceptible to scab, does not store well Origin: Gloucestershire, village of Taynton, 17th Century
Theilersbirne A great "perry" or cider making pear very high in tannic acid. The small fruit is green and the flesh is brown with a sweet musty flavor. It originated in Switzerland in 1848 and is a European hard cider favorite.
Thorn Favorite of today's Artisan Perry producers. Raised by Mr Winnal at Weston-under-Penyard about 1790. To be found between Ross and Tewkesbury. Origin: Weston-under-Penyard, Herefordshire
Tosca
Turandot
Ubileen A large, sweet, aromatic, pear from Bulgaria. The skin is yellow with a pretty red blush. The flavorful flesh is fine textured and buttery. It is harvested in early August and top rated among thousands of pears from around the world at the USDA national pear Germplasm Repository in Corvallis, Oregon.
Uta
Vicar of Winkfield England – a green skinned cooking pear
Virgouleuse
Warren Adapted throughout the nation and among the best backyard choices. The fruit is juicy and sweet with buttery texture and very good keeping abilities. Extremely resistant to fireblight, and quite cold hardy (to -20?F). Discovered in Hattiesburg, Mississippi by noted horticulturist T. O. Warren. The fruits are medium to large, have a teardrop shape and green skin. Needs a pollenizer.
White Doyenne White Doyenne pear tree produces one of the best autumn pears you will ever taste. This fine grained, buttery French pear has a long storied history throughout the States and Europe which speaks to its unquestioned popularity throughout the centuries. White Doyenne pears are small to medium pears with roundish shape. Pale yellow russeted skin with a small bright red blush on the exposed cheek. Flesh is juicy and sweet with a rich aromatic flavor and melting texture when fully ripe. The White Doyenne pear tree is a world-renowned fruit tree that came from France via Italy where it was described in first described in 1550 as the old Roman pear, Sementinum. Some fireblight resistance.
Williams A synonym for Bartlett.
Winnals Longdon Favorite of today's Artisan Perry producers. Raised by Mr Winnal at Weston-under-Penyard about 1790. To be found between Ross and Tewkesbury. Origin: Weston-under-Penyard, Herefordshire
Winter Bartlett Fruit of medium-large size. The skin is thick, dull light green evenly. Noticeable protruding sparkles and yellowish when ripe. The flesh is somewhat creamy, very juicy, sweet and with great flavor.
Winter Nelis A very highly regarded late-season dessert pear from Belgium, with an excellent sweet flavour. The fruits keep well.
Yellow Huffcapp Yellow Huffcap is a traditional old English "Perry" pear used to make an excellent pear cider. It ripens in mid season and is high in acids and low in tannins. The fruit is small and yellow/green. The fruit ripens in mid to late September in Western Oregon. The fruit should be shaken from the tree just before it is ripe or it could rot on the tree. Trees are vigorous with a spreading habit and very productive but biennial and slow to come into bearing. Fruit is high in Vitamin C.