How does one differentiate varieties?

[lakelady]

I’ve got Cuneo Giant Pear, and Franchi Red Pear growing side by side. I can see no difference in leaf shape/size, plant habit, and flower clusters. What else does one look for in determining if two varieties are the same plant? I’m assuming one also looks for fruit shape/size and taste. Anything else?

I specifically did this for fun to see if there were indeed, any differences at all.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by lakelady

I’ve got Cuneo Giant Pear, and Franchi Red Pear growing side by side. I can see no difference in leaf shape/size, plant habit, and flower clusters. What else does one look for in determining if two varieties are the same plant? I’m assuming one also looks for fruit shape/size and taste. Anything else?

I specifically did this for fun to see if there were indeed, any differences at all.

I can grow 100 large pink PL varieties and not be able to tell one from the other for most of them, and when it comes down to taste, that's dicey as well. Assuming they are all indet then I look at the history behind them which sometimes helps a lot.

So, given two large red hearts, as you asked above, and assuming the were all indets, yes, I'd pay attention to fruit size and shape as well as whether early or midseason or late season, as well as foliage cover, leaf form, as well as taste and then track the history via my SSE annual yearbooks and Tania has histories for many of them taken from the yearbooks as well as from others as well as research she's done herself.

THen take the variety Jean's Prize for instance. It was known at first as a commercial OP but the family forgot the name of it and renamed it Jean's Prize b'c she took so many prizes with it and her local church events. it's one I've been offering in my seed offer here. And there are many others whose original names have been lost and then renamed.

[lakelady]

Thanks for responding Carolyn. I don't have former SSE yearbooks, only this years. I know there has been mention that the two above are likely the same tomato, so it is quite possible. I'll keep an eye on developing fruits, flavor, etc.

I can see how this really could make me a little batty trying to track down all that information if I had decided to "test" several other varieties. My hat off to you for all of the amazing histories that you've provided here for all of us, and of course, the wonderful book you did. Now I'm waiting for volume 2

[carolyn137]

Franchi is, as they say, a venerable very old Italian seed firm and they produce and sell seeds for many varieties.

And there are many many large red pear shaped varieties that are Italian in origin.

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Liguria

Above is a link to one of those pear shaped ones and several others are mentioned as well, including the one you're referring to.

Franchi Red PEar isn't mentioned on that page but is mentioned at another page:

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/w...chi_Giant_Pear

You can see that it too is pyriform in shape and red, as are all the others mentioned in the first link. Most of them are named for a region, as are the Costolutos, but not having grown out many of the large pears, which would have to be done, I don't think I would go so far as to say that the Franchi one is the same as Cuneo Giant Pear.

How different they all might be in ways other than having pyriform shapoe would , I think, have to be done by growing out severla of them in the same season.

http://www.seedsofitaly.com/catalogue/3/0

Above is a link to a site that features Franchi tomato varieties and you can see that the one from Liguria is listed separately from the Franchi one.

[Doug9345]

Originally Posted by lakelady

... I don't have former SSE yearbooks, only this years. . . .

If you are a member you can sign into the yearbook and below the menu there is a button labeled yearbook history.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Doug9345

If you are a member you can sign into the yearbook and below the menu there is a button labeled yearbook history.

That is true, but I don't do the online either, and I'll be deleting all my listings for 2013, even though this past year I asked Joanne to upload my listings to the online.

So from now on, no online listings, deleting most of my listings from the paper version leaving just a few in the paper Yearbook which I much prefer now that I've seen what has to happen when folks request from me off the online.

The fact is that I have to send out a minimum of 25 seeds to other SSE members, and foot the postage as well, although a few send some stamps, but the main reason I'm doing what I said, which is not the only reason, is b'c most of what I SSE list I also offer in my seed offer here, and with fresh seeds I can send to 5 folks, 5 seeds each, rather than 25 seeds to one SSE person. And I also have been offering varieties in my seed offer here that I don't SSE list b'c I don't have enough seeds.

I foot the postage for Non-US persons, and those requesting from my seed offer send a SASE and many do send extra stamps, but then these are Tville members, ya know, some SSE members, some not.

But right now I don't have a clue about any 2013 seed offer here since my plants are lousy and Neil in IL is having real problems with the drought and he and Shoe in NC do almost all of the seed production for me and Lee in NC does a few, but is mostly involved with Dwarf Project growouts.

And as I said above, Tania has histories for many varieties that she got from the YEarbooks, as well as from other folks as well as research she did herself.

So that's another good source. Of course what she doesn't have are the individual person listings for a specific variety, which can bemany in the YEarbook, except for several of those per variety for some varieties.

Fact is, I was around when the online first went up and was a Mod at the SSE message site at the time and there were problems from the get go and still are I guess for some folks. Since I no longer go to the SSE message site I'm probably out of date here but twice I've asked an SSE member friend to research for me a specific variety at the online and that worked out well.

But I certainly would not suggest that non-SSE members make that request of SSE members they know, for I think the reasons that anyone involved with SSE would or should know about.