Pear

Belle du Jumet (Sugar pear)

Belle du Jumet, also sold as the Sugar Pear, is a heritage Belgian pear valued for its intensely sweet, juicy fruit. The tree is a high-yielding, vigorous grower that crops reliably in New Zealand conditions. Fruit are small to medium, pyriform, with smooth pale gold-green skin often flushed red and prominent lenticels. The white flesh is melting, extremely juicy and sugary-sweet, best eaten fresh straight from the tree. In New Zealand it ripens very early, around late January, making it one of the first European pears of the season. A good dessert pear for home orchards; because it ripens early it does not store long and should be eaten within days of picking. Self-pollinating, so a single tree will crop alone, though nearby pear blossom can improve set.

Beurre Bosc

Beurre Bosc is a distinguished 19th-century French russeted dessert pear, instantly recognisable by its long tapering neck and cinnamon-bronze russeted skin over golden-green ground. The tree is vigorous and a regular, heavy cropper in New Zealand. Fruit are medium to large with firm, buttery flesh that is sweet, juicy and richly aromatic with a hint of spice; it holds its shape well, so it doubles as a cooking pear. Harvest in New Zealand falls mid-season, around March, and the fruit stores moderately well for a few weeks off the tree (longer in cool storage). Often labelled simply Bosc. Requires cross-pollination (flowering group 5), so plant with a compatible mid-to-late flowering pear such as Williams, Packham's Triumph or Winter Nelis.

Crispie

Crispie is a modern New Zealand pear selection bred from a cross between the nashi 'Nijisseiki' and 'Max Red Bartlett', combining European pear flavour with Asian-pear crispness. The tree is compact (around 3 m mature), suiting small gardens. Fruit are medium, pyriform, with smooth yellow skin; the flesh is crisp, juicy and sweet with a Bartlett-type flavour when fully ripe, and is eaten fresh while still crisp rather than ripened to melting. In New Zealand it ripens around late February, an early-to-mid-season slot. Best used as a fresh dessert pear; fruit keeps a short to moderate time. Requires cross-pollination from another European pear or nashi flowering at the same time.

Fastigiata

Fastigiata is a columnar, upright form of Pyrus communis grown as an ornamental tree rather than for fruit production. Its narrowly fastigiate habit, spring blossom and autumn colour make it a landscaping specimen for avenues and tight spaces. Any fruit produced is small, hard and of no eating quality. No meaningful fruit-size, harvest or storage data applies, so fruit fields are recorded as Unknown and its use as Ornamental. Pollination and orchard attributes are not applicable.