The origin of Alexander Lucas is up for discussion, although it is believed that friars in Western Germany discovered it. Many European apple and pear varieties came from the orchards of monasteries and convents because the friars and nuns were highly educated people and the Church owned vast amounts of good land.

Friars in monastery orchards and gardens engaged in careful observation of nature in all aspects of fruit breeding and cultivation. This lead to the development of new varieties, cultivation techniques, as well as a better understanding of the natural world. For instance, J. Mendel, an Austrian Benedictine friar, first described genetics and the basic laws of hybridization. All of the old fruit varieties (and some new ones) come from natural hybrids, that is, they originate from seeds.

Alexander Lucas is one of the few pear varieties requires minimum pruning work. There are years in which it is not necessary to prune these trees at all. Their secondary branches are inclined at almost 90 degrees to the main trunk. The leaves are big, very glossy, and resist the wind very well and the fruit doesn't suffer in the summer heat. The Alexander Lucas harvest comes after the Bosc. The fruit is very similar to the d'Anjou pear; however, the stem is longer and the flesh is denser.

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