Seckel pear

Edible fruit cultivar

Seckel pear

Genus| Pyrus
Species| Pyrus communis
Hybrid parentage| wild seedling
Cultivar| Seckel
Origin| Pennsylvania

The Seckel pear (or sugar pear) is a small, very sweet cultivar of pear believed to have originated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

## Cultivar history

[edit]

1921 illustration of the fruit

The Seckel is said to be named after the Pennsylvania farmer who first introduced it in the late 18th century.[1] It was one of the varieties planted at Monticello by Thomas Jefferson, who said it "exceeded anything I have tasted since I left France, and equalled any pear I had seen there." His high regard for the Seckel was shared by the eminent horticulturalist A. J. Downing, who rated its flavor above even European pear varieties.[2]

## Tree characteristics

[edit]

The Seckel pear tree is relatively small, reaching a height of 15-20 feet and width of about 10 feet.[3] It has light grey bark and resembles an apple tree.[4] Its white flowers bloom in mid-Spring.[3] The tree is cold-hardy, frost-resistant, and resistant to fire blight.[4]

## Fruit characteristics

[edit]

The Seckel is a winter pear, harvested in the fall, which can be stored for about 5 months. The fruit is very sweet and crunchy, with a coarser grain than most European varieties.[5] Compared to most other pears, they are very small, less than 3" in length and width.[4]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ McManus, Jeanne, "Seckel Pears", The Washington Post
2. ^ "Seckel Pear"
3. ^ a b Seckel Pear at Conservation Garden Park
4. ^ a b c Pyrus Communis Seckel at NC State Extension
5. ^ WSU Tree Fruit: Seckel ("Sugar Pear"), Washington State University

* v
* t
* e

Pyrus

Cultivars|

* Abate Fetel
* Bosc pear
* Choke pear
* Churchland pear
* Concorde
* Conference pear
* D'Anjou
* Doyenné du Comice
* Harovin Sundown
* Huntington pear
* Le Conte pear
* Parsonage pear
* Pêra Rocha
* Seckel pear
* Stinking Bishop pear
* Taylor's gold
* Warden pear
* Williams pear
* Winter Nelis pear

Pear

Species|

* P. anatolica
* P. armeniacifolia
* P. boissieriana
* P. bourgaeana
* P. calleryana
* P. communis
* P. cordata
* P. elaeagrifolia
* P. hakkiarica
* P. korshinskyi
* P. nivalis
* P. oxyprion
* P. pashia
* P. pyraster
* P. pyrifolia
* P. salicifolia
* P. serikensis
* P. spinosa
* P. syriaca
* P. ussuriensis

Natural hybrids|

* Pyrus × bretschneideri
* Pyrus × sinkiangensis

Related topics|

* Herefordshire Pomona
* List of pear diseases
* Perry
* Tottori Nijisseiki Pear Museum
* World Apple and Pear Association

* Category
* Commons

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template