Williams pear

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Williams pear, 1822 printing from the Horticultural Society of London, digitized by Google

The Williams' Bon Chrétien pear, commonly called the Williams pear, or Bartlett pear in the U.S. and Canada, is the most commonly grown variety of pear in most countries outside Asia. It is a cultivar (cultivated variety) of the species Pyrus communis, commonly known as the European pear. The fruit has a bell shape, considered the traditional pear shape in the west, and its green skin turns yellow upon later ripening, although red-skinned derivative varieties exist. It is considered a summer pear, not as tolerant of cold as some varieties. It is often eaten raw, but holds its shape well when baked, and is a common choice for canned or other processed pear uses.

[edit] History

The Williams pear is thought to date from 1765 to 1770 from the yard of an Aldermaston, England schoolmaster named Mr. Stair or Mr. Wheeler, giving rise to the now-obscure synonyms Aldermaston pear and Stairs pear. Similar to other Bon Chrétien varieties at the time, it was named Williams' Bon Chrétien for Richard Williams, who grew several grafts of the original tree. Imported into the U.S. in 1797 or 1799, a Massachusetts estate with its plantings was acquired by Enoch Bartlett in 1817. Being unaware of their origin, he named them after himself, and they are still generally known as Bartlett pears in the U.S. and Canada, although there are about 150 other synonyms worldwide.^[1]

[edit] Modern use

In 1985, it represented 80% of U.S. pear production, and in 2004, it represented 50% of reported pear production, displaced primarily by the continuing growth of d'Anjou and Bosc pears, both winter pears more tolerant of cold than the Bartlett.^[1]^[2] While more pears are sold fresh in the U.S. than processed, Bartlett pears are the primary choice for canned halves, puree, and most pear juice and nectar in the U.S., comprising about two thirds of Bartlet production.

Red Bartletts or Williams are very similar to the traditional Williams, aside from ripening to a reddish color rather than a yellow color. Red-skinned mutant clones (i.e. "sports") of the Williams are increasing in popularity, including three major varieties in the U.S.: the Max Red Bartlett, the Sensation Red Bartlett, and the Rosired Bartlett. One genetic study found Max Red and Sensation Red were genetically indistinguishable from the Williams, which was expected since they were derived from mutations of the Williams.^[3] Dozens of other cultivars and hybrids have been created from Bartletts, created for properties like cold resistance, ripening time, skin coloration, and grafting compatibility.^[4]