Lecont Pear Seeds

Heavy Fruiting Wild Pear Cross from Michigan

The variety ‘Keifer’ and ‘Le Conte’ came from this cross and are also considered 'pie pears'. Selections of Lecont pear come from trees at my farm that are noted for their heavy yields of small fruit 1/2 to 1 inch sized fruit. These trees are super productive and show no disease or insect problems. The fruit characteristics are such that it is not really an edible pear off the tree. They are high in astringency and incredibly tart. When they break down as they ripen, the fruit mellows but still requires additional sugar to remove the ascorbic tartness. The fruit is filled with grit cells and to remove that requires a good blender which will smooth out the texture. In the end the flavor is much like a wild or storage pear that require a breakdown fully before eating.   

Enjoy its beautifully rich autumn color of reds and purples.  Produces uniform seedlings that could potentially be used as rootstock or better quality fruit with no spray. This is an excellent fruit producer for birds and deer. Trees maintain a strong central leader and can be pruned up. The hybrid vigor of this strain is quite good and easily produce cultivars for fruit and timber too. Further grow outs in larger numbers are needed to create a new flavor profile in pears.