The Parsonage is a cultivar of the
European Pear
''Pyrus communis'', the common pear, is a species of pear native to central and eastern Europe, and western Asia.
It is one of the most important fruits of temperate regions, being the species from which most orchard pear cultivars grown in Eur ...
(''Pyrus communis'') which is a native of
New Rochelle, New York in northeastern
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. The pear tree, found on the
parsonage of Reverend Doctor R. U. Morgan, rector of
Trinity Episcopal Church, was introduced as the Parsonage pear in 1857 by Stephen P. Carpenter of the Huguenot Nurseries of New Rochelle. The original tree was a constant and abundant bearer of fruit which was viewed as flavorful and of very good quality.
During its early years, New Rochelle was well known for the propagation of trees and shrubbery. The
Huguenot
The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...
settlers were especially skilled in the development of fruits and flowers. The '
Churchland' and '
Huntington' pear varieties are also native to the community, as well as the
Lawton blackberry, the first widely cultivated blackberry in the country.
Characteristic features
The 'Parsonage' Pear is of large size, approximately 3 1/4 inches in length by 2 1/2 inches wide. It is pyriform in shape, rounded at the base and often long and turbinate. The skin is yellow in color, with a russet-ed base and crown, and russet markings interspersed across the remaining exterior portions. The stem is 5/8 of an inch long and its flesh is rather granular in texture and buttery. The 'Parsonage' ripens to maturity around the end of September.
[Downing, A.J. (1853). The Horticulturist, And Journal Of Rural Art And Rural Taste. James Vice Jr.]
References
History of New York (state)
History of New Rochelle, New York
Pear cultivars
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