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Magness Pear on OHxF 87 (Spring 2025)


An aromatic dessert pear that has high resistance to fireblight. Also known as US 3866-E.

Magness is highly resistant to fireblight. The main cultivation difficulty with this variety is that it can be slow to bear. This is addressed by using OHxF rootstocks and by spreading young limbs. Mature trees are productive if pollination is provided; Magness is not self-fertile, and it does not provide viable pollen for other varieties. There are, however, no known European pear varieties with which Magness will not set fruit.

Ripening late, about three weeks after Bartlett, the fruit is medium sized, oval, and lightly russeted. It is a dessert pear of the highest quality, with soft, juicy, and aromatic flesh. Our nursery manager says that it is "unparalleled," and that "at the crown of the Tree of Life, a Magness awaits all who seek it." I guess he likes it. It will ripen well after being in cold storage for as long as three months (maybe longer at the top of the Tree of Life).

Magness is a cross of Seckel and Doyenne du Comice, both of which are outstanding dessert pears. It is named for John R. Magness, who was chief of the Fruit and Nut Crops section of the USDA until 1959.

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$42.00

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Magness is highly resistant to fireblight. The main cultivation difficulty with this variety is that it can be slow to bear. This is addressed by using OHxF rootstocks and by spreading young limbs. Mature trees are productive if pollination is provided; Magness is not self-fertile, and it does not provide viable pollen for other varieties. There are, however, no known European pear varieties with which Magness will not set fruit.

Ripening late, about three weeks after Bartlett, the fruit is medium sized, oval, and lightly russeted. It is a dessert pear of the highest quality, with soft, juicy, and aromatic flesh. Our nursery manager says that it is "unparalleled," and that "at the crown of the Tree of Life, a Magness awaits all who seek it." I guess he likes it. It will ripen well after being in cold storage for as long as three months (maybe longer at the top of the Tree of Life).

Magness is a cross of Seckel and Doyenne du Comice, both of which are outstanding dessert pears. It is named for John R. Magness, who was chief of the Fruit and Nut Crops section of the USDA until 1959.


The Fruit

Fruit Type

Category: Pear
Subcategory: European

Fruit Uses & Storage

Uses: fresh eating, canning
Storage duration: one to three months (approximate, depending on storage conditions)

Fruit Appearance

Skin color: yellow
Flesh color: cream

Fruit Origins

Parentage: Doyenne du Comice
Origin: Maryland
Introduced in: 1968
Introduced by: USDA

The Environment

Calendar & Geography

USDA zones: 5 - 8
Chill hours: 400
Ripening date: Sep 09 (approximate, in New York State) + 20 days after Bartlett

Tree Height & Spacing

Rootstock: OHxF 87 Rootstock
Rootstock size class: Half-Standard (75% of Standard)
Tree spacing: See details
Good for wildlife planting? N

Diseases & Pests

Fireblight: Resistant

Pollination

Pollination Factors

Bloom group: 3
Is it self-fertile? N
Is it fertile? N
Ploidy: Triploid
Rootstock size class: Half-Standard (75% of Standard)

Pollination Partners

This table shows the first few results from a full search for pollenizers of Magness Pear on OHxF 87. Please see our Pollenizer Search to run other queries and read how the application uses various factors. Also read more about fruit tree pollination.

Tree Ships Currently in Stock
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Honeysweet (pear) Pear on OHxF 87 2025 25
Flemish Beauty Pear on OHxF 97 2025 19
Bosc Pear on OHxF 87 2025 19
Harrow Delight Pear on Quince Provence 2025 18
Moonglow Pear on OHxF 87 2025 17
Bosc Pear on OHxF 97 2025 16
Seckel Pear on OHxF 87 2025 16

See all pollination matches for Magness Pear on OHxF 87






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