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Pear Trees
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Pear Trees
Baldwin Pear Tree
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Fruiting Pear Trees and Flowering Pear Tree Cultivars
Pear trees are best known for two important characteristics: their flowering, and their fruit. The fruiting pear has been hybridized extensively from pear species that originated in Asia and Europe. The great American botanist and hybridizer, Luther Burbank, was responsible for early American pear hybrids, both in the fruit producing pear and the flowering pear trees. The shape of the fruiting pear has been coined as a dictionary entry: “pear shape,” a very descriptive term that every American understands. The term 'pear shape' loses its meaning when applied to the shape of the Oriental Asian pear fruit, because that pear is mostly round in shape.
Historical records in England show that the seeds of pear fruits were sent to grow in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1629. Spanish missions in American colonies were growing the pear as food in 1707. The first American nursery, Prince Nursery, advertised pear trees for sale in 1771 at Flushing, New York. John Bartram of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, planted pear tree seed that grew into fruit producing pear trees in 1793, and one tree has continued to produce a pear crop until 1933.
William Bartram, the famous American botanist, explorer, and author, wrote in his book, Travels (page 396), “I observed amongst them wild crab (Pyrus coronaria).” Bartram may have been confused, whether he actually had found the wild flowering crabapple tree or the naturalized flowering pear tree, since he observed that the identified tree was Pyrus coronaria.
The flavor of the pear is not unique, because the apple and the quince flavors contain a hint of similarity in taste, however, new pear hybrids have such a fragile, delicate taste, many gourmets prefer the pear over both the apple and the quince. Pear hybrids keep the fine quality of the flavor, even after long periods of cold storage, and grocery stores now stock fresh pear cultivars year-round.
Like the apple tree, the pear tree can withstand very cold temperatures of minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit, since the pear tree is very cold hardy and can be grown in many areas of the United States. Pear trees will easily grow when temperatures drop below zero. Most pear tree cultivars ripen the fruit on the tree in the late summer or early fall, after the flowering during March that results in fruit set in April. Most pear tree cultivars do not require cross pollination of two different cultivars, with a couple of bizarre exceptions. The skin color of a ripe pear ranges from yellow to cream, to red to orange, or even green, but the pulp is basically white. The flowering pear tree is covered in the spring with white blooms, followed closely with waxy-green oval leaves. During the fall, the leaves of the flowering pear trees that dramatically change color to yellow, orange, red, and maroon—rating the flowering pear tree as a prize winner for fall leaf color.
Most of the commercial pear harvest in the United States is grown in the States of Washington and Oregon, where they use pear cultivars of the European ancestry, however, those cultivars are generally unsuitable to plant and grow in other States, since those pear cultivars are subject to fire-blight. The old standard Kieffer, Orient, and Sand pear trees are resistant to fire-blight, as are the other varieties of hybrid pear trees offered for sale by Aaron's Nursery. The Flordahome pear tree is not only special for Florida, but grows well when planted in deep south climates, such as Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.
The Baldwin pear and the LeConte pear trees are old Southern pear hybrids that ripen in early fall. The Ayers (Sugar) pear and the Pineapple pear trees are so named because the pear flavor is similar to that of sweet (sugar) and tasty pineapple. The Columbus Red pear and the Warren pear fruit have bright red colored skin, and the Warren red pear was named after the pear hybridizer, Mr. Warren, a plant enthusiast from Mississippi.
The Hood pear is an exceptional pear tree that equally produces well in the Hood pear growing region of the northwest as well as growing areas in the South.
Asian pear cultivars have become very popular to plant in America, because of the indescribable, delicate flavor of the pear and the crispy texture. Unlike other pear cultivars, the Asian pear is picked from the tree after it ripens much like the quince and apple fruit.
The Korean pear tree, Pyrus pyrifolia 'Manshurica,' is highly esteemed for fresh fruit production, and it is much more in demand than other Asian pear trees. The delicate, fragile flavor and texture of the Korean pear is thought by a prominent food gourmet to be the finest of all fruits.
Pear trees are also grown to use as a rootstock for other fruit trees. Some pear (Pyrus) species can be used as rootstock to dwarf other fruit trees, and others as semi-dwarf stock.
Pear juice can be used to make pear jelly or pear preserves. In Europe, the pear halves are dried into an excellent flavored confection for fall and winter eating. Pear halves are often canned as a sugary fruit dessert, and pear pieces are mixed with other fruit in fruit cocktail. The pear nectar can be fermented into pear wine.
The wood of a pear tree is used to make high quality clarinets and oboes, as well as for expensive furniture.
Flowering pear trees are dramatic in the spring, flowering early in March along with flowering crabapple, plum, and peach. The Bradford flowering pear tree is one of the oldest and best known pear cultivars. The flowering on the pear twigs literally covers the tree in early spring, and many home owners line their driveways with the Bradford pear tree for a spring flower spectacle that illuminates a landscape. The leaves of the Bradford pear vibrate in fall warm colors red, orange, and yellow. The Autumn Blaze flowering pear tree is also a good choice for fall color. New hybrid cultivars of flowering pear trees that are bred for cold hardy qualities are the Aristocrat pear tree and the Cleveland Select chanticler flowering pear tree.
Pear trees produce fruit with a skin color of red, green, yellow, and orange when ripe. In the United States, pear fruit is available in grocery stores year round from commercial US and foreign orchards. Fresh pear fruit keeps well in cold storage and can be dried into pear crystallized fruit to eat later. Pear trees grow well throughout the United States and even in warm states like Florida where the Flordahome variety grows well. The Sand pear tree and the Kieffer pear trees are old standard varieties that have been planted and reliably fruited for many years. Asian pear trees such as the Hosui Japanese Asian pear, the Shinseiki and the Asian Twentieth Century pear tree produce rounded fruit with a sweet crisp flavor. Much interest has grown from the Asian pear called Korean Giant pear tree that is considered tops in quality. The Korean Giant pear is large in size and a heavy producer.
Fresh pears picked in the fall are loaded with a sweetness unequaled. The pear fruit is cooked in pies, cobblers and many other pear desserts. Pear trees not only fruit but flower abundantly in early spring being leafless and covered with white blooms that last. The Bradford flowering pear tree has been widely planted and grown.
