Pear
Pears are
trees of the genus
Pyrus and the juicy
fruit of that tree, edible in some species. The English word
pear is probably from Common
West Germanic *pera, probably a loanword of
Vulgar Latin pira, the plural of
pirum, which is itself of unknown origin. See also Peor. The
place name Perry can indicate the historical presence of pear trees.
Encyclopedia
Pears are
trees of the genus
Pyrus and the juicy
fruit of that tree, edible in some species. The English word
pear is probably from Common
West Germanic *pera, probably a loanword of
Vulgar Latin pira, the plural of
pirum, which is itself of unknown origin. See also
Peorđ. The
place name Perry can indicate the historical presence of pear trees.
Botany
Pears are native to temperate regions of the Old World, from western
Europe and north
Africa east right across
Asia. They are medium sized trees, reaching 10-17 m tall, often with a tall, narrow crown; a few species are
shrubby. The
leaves are alternately arranged, simple, 2-12 cm long, glossy green on some species, densely silvery-hairy in some others; leaf shape varies from broad oval to narrow lanceolate. Most pears are
deciduous, but one or two species in southeast Asia are
evergreen. Most are cold-hardy, withstanding temperatures between −25 °C and −40 °C in winter, except for the evergreen species, which only tolerate temperatures down to about −15 °C.
The
flowers are white, rarely tinted yellow or pink, 2-4 cm diameter, and have five petals. Like that of the related
apple, the pear fruit is a
pome, in most wild species 1-4 cm diameter, but in some cultivated forms up to 18 cm long and 8 cm broad; the shape varies from globose in most species, to the classic '
pear-shape' of the
European Pear with an elongated basal portion and a bulbous end.
There are about 30 species of pears.
;Selected species
- Pyrus amygdaliformis – Almond-leafed Pear
- Pyrus austriaca – Austrian Pear
- Pyrus balansae
- Pyrus betulifolia
- Pyrus bourgaeana – Iberian Pear
- Pyrus bretschneideri – Ya Pear
- Pyrus calleryana – Callery Pear
- Pyrus caucasica – Cacasian Pear
- Pyrus communis – European Pear
- Pyrus cordata – Plymouth Pear
- Pyrus cossonii – Algerian Pear
- Pyrus elaeagrifolia – Oleaster-leafed Pear
- Pyrus fauriei
- Pyrus kawakamii
| Pyrus korshinskyiPyrus lindleyiPyrus nivalis – Snow PearPyrus pashia – Afghan PearPyrus persicaPyrus phaeocarpaPyrus pyraster – Wild PearPyrus pyrifolia – Nashi PearPyrus regeliiPyrus salicifolia is a species of pear [i], native to the Middle East [i]....
– Willow-leafed PearPyrus salvifolia – Sage-leafed PearPyrus serrulataPyrus syriacaPyrus ussuriensis – Siberian Pear |
Uses
Pear trees are used as food plants by the
larvae of a number of
Lepidoptera species - see list of Lepidoptera which feed on Pear trees.
Only three species are important for edible fruit production, the
European Pear Pyrus communis cultivated mainly in Europe and
North America, the
Ya Pear Pyrus bretschneideri, and the
Nashi Pear Pyrus pyrifolia , both grown mainly in eastern Asia. There are thousands of
cultivars of these three species.
Other species are used as rootstocks for European and Asian pears and as ornamental trees. The Siberian Pear,
Pyrus ussuriensis has been crossed with
Pyrus communis to breed hardier pear cultivars. The
Bradford Pear in particular has become widespread in North America and is used only for decoration. The
Willow-leafed Pear is grown for its attractive slender, densely silvery-hairy leaves.
Pears are consumed fresh, canned, as juice, and occasionally
dried. The juice can also be used in
jellies and
jams, usually in combination with other fruits or berries. Fermented pear juice is called
perry.
Pear
wood is one of the preferred materials in the manufacture of high-quality woodwind instruments and
furniture. It is also used for wood carving, and as a
firewood to produce aromatic smoke for smoking meat or
tobacco.
External links
- - descriptions of pear cultivars from a U.S. advocacy group.
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