Josephine de Malines

A good winter dessert pear but best grown in a warm location

Origin: Belgium, 1830

Pollination: Josephine de Malines is self-sterile and would require a pollinator to produce a crop.Find pollination partners >

British-grown All our bare-root trees are personally hand-grafted by our Nursery Manager and grown on at our nursery in Kent. We have Defra and Plant Healthy certification. More ...

We are now closed for the season. Ordering for winter 2025/26 will be enabled from Thursday 1st May 2025.

History and description of Josephine de Malines

Raised by Major Esperen in Malines, Belgium c 1830. Named after his wife Josephine.

Small, short conical fruit. Pale green skin ripening to yellow. Variable amount of greenish russet particularly around the stalk. White, very smooth, melting flesh. Sweet with a fine aromatic flavour. Best grown in a warm location and picked as late as possible to allow the flavour to develop fully. Keeps well in storage.

A relatively weak growing tree with a weeping habit. Reliable heavy cropping. Tip bearer. Good resistance against pear scab.

Characteristics of Josephine de Malines pear trees

Use	Dessert
Colour
Flavour
Fruit size	Small
Picking time	Late Oct
Season of use	Jan-Feb
Tree vigour	Small
Tree habit
Fruit-bearing	Tip-bearer
Cropping	Heavy
Disease resistance	Scab - Resistant
Pollination date	19
Pollination group	D
Self-fertility	Self-sterile
Pollinators	Pollination partners
Progeny	Gorham