''Pyrus ussuriensis'', also known as the Ussurian pear, Harbin pear, and Manchurian pear, is a species of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants t ...
in the family
Rosaceae
Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a medium-sized family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera.
The name is derived from the type genus ''Rosa''. Among the most species-rich genera are '' Alchemilla'' (270), ''Sorb ...
.
It is native to Korea, Japan, and the
Ussuri River
The Ussuri or Wusuli (russian: Уссури; ) is a river that runs through Khabarovsk and Primorsky Krais, Russia and the southeast region of Northeast China. It rises in the Sikhote-Alin mountain range, flowing north and forming part of the S ...
area of far eastern Russia. It has flowers in spring that are slightly pink when budding and then turn white.
Buds are dark brown and have an alternating arrangement. The tree grows to a height of about and prefers well-drained
loam
Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand ( particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–si ...
-type soils. It is considered the
hardiest of all
pear
Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in the Northern Hemisphere in late summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the Family (biology), family Rosacea ...
s.
When planted in milder climates, the trees have been known to be killed by freezes after they begin budding.
Many species of birds and mammals feed upon the fruit of this species. Deer, mice, and rabbits are known to damage the trees.
Leaves are dark green in spring and summer and turn dark red and gold in autumn.
Products made from the fruits may prove more effective than commercial insecticides in
killing ticks and mites.
The fruits are not the tastiest of pears to humans, but the taste is
better after a freeze and the juice tastes better. Crosses of this species with other pears produces tasty pears that grow in climates too cold for most pears.
Cultivar
A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...
s include the 'Reli', 'Jinxiang', 'Hongbalixiang', 'Baibalixiang', 'Fuwuxiang', 'Qiuxiang', 'Fuanjianba', 'Longxiang', 'Guanhongxiao', 'Shanli24', 'Wuxiangli', 'Shatangli', 'Manyuanxiang', 'McDermand' , and the Prairie Gem® Flowering Pear (cultivar ‘MorDak’).
There are at least 108 compounds in the fruits that affect plant breeding and these show that ''P. ussuriensis'' cultivars fall into 4 groups.
References
External links
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{{Taxonbar, from=Q13172138
ussuriensis