Scientific Name:
Pyrus communis
Pronunciation:
PYE-rus kum-YOU-niss
Common Name:
European pear, common pear
Family Name:
Rosaceae
Plant Type:
Tree - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Leaves elliptic, ovate, most blades 5-12cm long x 2-8cm wide, margin serrate; corymbs, most with 10-20 florets each 2-3cm wide, 5 white concave petals, 5 green sepals, many stamens, 5 stigmas; pomes (pears) yellow to brownish when ripe, most 8-12cm long. Winter ID: bark grey-brown/flat ridges at the top; red-brown branches; buds scaly, slightly tomentose, acute.
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Columnar, Oval - vertical
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
10 - 15m
Mature Spread:
7 - 10m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Europe, South Asia / India
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 4: (-34 to -29 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Humus rich, Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Attract beneficial insects, Dried flower or fruit, Shade tree, Specimen plant, Urban agriculture
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Summer:
Dark-green
Shapes:
Ovate
Apices:
Acuminate
Bases:
Rounded
Margins:
Serrulate
Inflorescence Type:
Corymb
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Inferior
Colour (petals):
Showy, White, Pink (Various cream colours in white and pink.)
Flower Scent:
Fragrant
Flower Time at Peak:
Apr, May
Additional Info:
Leaves are elliptic/ ovate and serrated; bark is grey-brown, scaly with ridges; reddish-brown branches; buds are involute with imbricate scales.
Fruit Type:
Edible, Pome
Fruit Colour:
Yellow, Green-yellow, Green
Fruiting Time:
Aug, Sep
Additional Info:
Showy, Accessory tissue, Edible
Bark Morphology:
Plated
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey
Leaf Bud Type:
Conical (long-pointed)
Propagation:
Seed, Cuttings, Grafting
Pest Susceptibility:
Anthracnose, Blight or needle cast, Canker or sap rot, Diptera - true flies, Fungal leaf spot, Mites, Rust, Scale insects, Whitefly or psyllids
Course(s):
- HORT 1155
Location(s):
- (BUG) BUG garden : 155
- (FEA) Field lab Equipment Area : cv. Bartlett