Identifying a Mystery Pear Variety from Fruit and Seed

Pear seeds do not come true to type; each seedling is genetically unique. To preserve a specific variety, grafting is required. However, growing seeds from a delicious pear can yield interesting new trees.

Historical Variety Comparison

The fruit described resembles several heirloom pears: Summer de Congress, Onondaga, Beurre Superfin, Clapp’s Favorite, Dearborn, Howell, Lincoln, and Passe Colmar. Summer de Congress is a close visual match.

Next Steps

• Grow seeds for novelty or rootstock.
• For true-to-type fruit, graft scions onto compatible rootstock.
• Consult The Pears of New York (historic USDA images) for detailed comparisons.