Pyrus communis Wild Pear PFAF Plant Database

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Pyrus communis - L.

Common Name

Wild Pear

Family

Rosaceae

Synonyms

Known Hazards

None known

Habitats

Hedges, woodland margins etc in Britain[17].

Range

Europe. Naturalized in Britain[17].

Edibility Rating

Medicinal Rating

Care

Summary

Physical Characteristics

Pyrus communis is a deciduous Tree growing to 13 m (42ft 8in).
It is hardy to zone 4 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from Apr to May, and the seeds ripen from Oct to December. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.

Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil and can tolerate drought. It can tolerate atmospheric pollution.


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Habitats
Woodland Garden Secondary; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade;

Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Fruit. Edible Uses: Fruit - raw or cooked[2, 5]. The fruit of wild pears often remains very hard unless bletted[186]. It is more suitable for use in pies etc. The fruit is up to 5cm long[200].

Medicinal Uses
Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally. Astringent; Febrifuge; Sedative. The fruit is astringent, febrifuge and sedative[240].

Other Uses
Dye; Shelterbelt; Wood. A yellow-tan dye is obtained from the leaves[106, 115]. Trees are sometimes used as part of a shelterbelt planting[227]. Wood - heavy, tough, durable, fine grained, hard. It weighs 51lb per cubic foot[227]. Used by cabinet and instrument makers[11, 61, 100, 149]. When covered with black varnish it is an excellent ebony substitute[74].

Cultivation details

Prefers a good well-drained loam in full sun[1, 200]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Tolerates light shade but does not fruit so well in such a position. Tolerates atmospheric pollution, excessive moisture and a range of soil types, if they are moderately fertile[200], avoiding only the most acid soils[186]. Dislikes very exposed positions[186]. Established plants are drought tolerant[200]. A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to below -15°c[200]. Plants often sucker and can form dense thickets[186]. A parent of the cultivated pear, possibly by crossing with P. nivalis and P. cordata[11]. There are many hundreds of varieties of cultivated pears and they are widely cultivated in the temperate zone for their edible fruits. By selection of varieties fresh fruits can be obtained from late July to April or May of the following year.

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in the autumn, it will then usually germinate in mid to late winter. Stored seed requires 8 - 10 weeks cold stratification at 1°c and should be sown as early in the year as possible[200]. Temperatures over 15 - 20°c induce a secondary dormancy in the seed[200]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse for their first year. Plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year.

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Expert comment

Author
L.

Botanical References
1117200

Links / References

[1]F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956

Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2]Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World.

Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[5]Mabey. R. Food for Free.

Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.

[11]Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement.

A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[17]Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles.

A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[61]Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man.

Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[74]Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR.

An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers.

[100]Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide.

An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.

[106]Coon. N. The Dictionary of Useful Plants.

Interesting reading but short on detail.

[115]Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.

Written about a hundred years ago, but still a very good guide to the useful plants of Britain.

[149]Vines. R. A. Trees of Central Texas.

Fairly readable, it gives details of habitats and some of the uses of trees growing in Texas.

[186]Beckett. G. and K. Planting Native Trees and Shrubs.

An excellent guide to native British trees and shrubs with lots of details about the plants.

[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.

Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[227]Vines. R.A. Trees of North Texas

A readable guide to the area, it contains descriptions of the plants and their habitats with quite a bit of information on plant uses.

[240]Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement).

Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

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