Savignac Ronde Verte Pear Tree
- Zone 4
Characteristics of the tree
Savignac Ronde Verte is a medium-sized pear with a rounded form. When completely ripe, it is greenish yellow in colour, with an occasional orange-red blush. The skin is thin with a slightly waxy texture.
The pear must be harvested on the tree when green, and allowed to ripen at room temperature. It tastes its best after about 3 days of maturing at room temperature (although this will vary depending on the temperature and maturity of the pear).
It can also be eaten at the time of harvest, at which point it is quite crunchy, with a mild taste. At peak ripeness, the flesh is white with a pleasantly crisp to buttery texture, and a juicy consistency with very few grit cells. The flavour is sweet and aromatic with a slight hint of acidity, excellent for both fresh eating and preserves.
The fruit is ready to harvest in late August, and can be stored for about two week in cold storage. It measures 13 Brix when fully ripe.
Savignac Ronde Verte pear tree is vigorous and highly productive with an upright growth pattern. It is hardy to at least zone 4, possibly zone 3.
The tree shows an excellent resistance to disease.
Note that it is self-sterile and needs a pollinator to produce fruit.
The origins of this variety are not entirely clear but it was almost certainly one of 4 trees given to brother Savignac in Joliette, Quebec by the Ottawa experimental station in 1947. Savignac, who is also famed for his work in the development of grapes and tomatoes, unfortunately lost the tags for the trees, hence the uncertainty as to their original names.
It did not become commercially available until the 1990’s. The parents used in this breeding program were: Flemish Beauty, Kurskaya, Clapp’s Favorite, and Zuckerbirn.
Pear trees have a very vigorous and upright growth habit; becoming taller than apple trees (10 m/35 ft in height at maturity) but spreading less wide (6 m/20 ft) Their height can be controlled somewhat with rigorous pruning, but only to a certain degree. All going well, these trees will live for about 200 years, providing fruit for several future generations.
You should note that this illustration is meant only to give a general indication of what you can expect, and the growth of your tree might look somewhat different. The development of a tree depends on the soil type, irrigation, fertilisation and climatic conditions.
All our pear trees are sold bare-root, without pots. They have been cultivated directly in the soil, and are taken out of the ground to be shipped to you during their period of dormancy. Bare-root trees do not take up much space, and can be therefore shipped by mail all over Canada!
Pear trees have a naturally small root system – do not be surprised if your pear tree seems to have fewer roots compared to the other trees you receive! This photo shows a 3-foot-tall pear tree, similar to one you would receive. Depending on the height that you select when you order a pear tree, it could be smaller (1-2 feet) or taller (3-5 feet).
Our pear trees are propagated by grafting, on rootstock that we produce at the nursery. For pear cultivars that are hardy in zone 3, we use Pyrus ussuriensis rootstock for its vigour and hardiness (zone 2, growing in Alaska). For cultivars that are hardy in zone 4, our rootstock consists of either Pyrus ussuriensis, or seedling pear trees born from the trees in our orchard in zone 4.
About half of the pear trees we offer are self-fertile and can produce fruit on their own, though they will always give better yields with a pollinator. The rest are self-sterile, and cannot produce fruit without pollination from a different cultivar. Therefore, if you only have space for one tree, you might want to use the filter to see only self-fertile cultivars.
Provided it is grown in good conditions and properly cared-for, your pear tree will begin to bear fruit by around 5 years on average, although this can vary depending on your location and the fertility of your soil. Be sure to also have a look at our articles on how to plant and care for your growing tree!
