''Pyrus communis'', the common pear, is a species of

pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in late summer into mid-autumn. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the Family (biology), family Rosaceae, bearing the Pome, po ...

native to central and eastern Europe, and western Asia. It is one of the most important fruits of temperate regions, being the species from which most

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit tree, fruit- or nut (fruit), nut-producing trees that are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also so ...

pear

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

s grown in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

have been developed. Two other species of pear, the Nashi pear (''

Pyrus pyrifolia ''Pyrus pyrifolia'' is a species of pear tree native to southern China and northern Indochina that has been introduced to Korea, Japan and other parts of the world. The tree's edible fruit is known by many names, including Asian pear, Persian pea ...

'') and the hybrid Chinese white or ya pear ('' Pyrus × bretschneideri'', ) are more widely grown in

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

Subtaxa

The following subspecies are currently accepted: * ''Pyrus communis'' subsp. ''caucasica'' – Turkey, Caucasus * ''Pyrus communis'' subsp. ''communis'' – Entire range except Caucasus

Origin

The cultivated Common pear (''P. communis'' subsp. ''communis'') is thought to be descended from two subspecies of wild pears, categorized as ''P. communis'' subsp.'' pyraster'' ( syn. ''P. pyraster'') and ''P. communis'' subsp. ''caucasica'' (syn. ''P. caucasica''), which are interfertile with domesticated pears. Archeological evidence shows these pears "were collected from the wild long before their introduction into cultivation", according to Zohary and Hopf. Although they point to finds of pears in sites in

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

and

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

European sites, "reliable information on pear cultivation first appears in the works of the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

and the Roman writers."

Theophrastus Theophrastus (; ; c. 371 – c. 287 BC) was an ancient Greek Philosophy, philosopher and Natural history, naturalist. A native of Eresos in Lesbos, he was Aristotle's close colleague and successor as head of the Lyceum (classical), Lyceum, the ...

Cato the Elder Marcus Porcius Cato (, ; 234–149 BC), also known as Cato the Censor (), the Elder and the Wise, was a Roman soldier, Roman Senate, senator, and Roman historiography, historian known for his conservatism and opposition to Hellenization. He wa ...

, and

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/24 79), known in English as Pliny the Elder ( ), was a Roman Empire, Roman author, Natural history, naturalist, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the Roman emperor, emperor Vesp ...

all present information about the cultivation and

grafting Grafting or graftage is a horticulture, horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together. The upper part of the combined plant is called the scion () while the lower part is called the roots ...

of pears.

Cultivation

Common pear trees are not quite as hardy as

apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

s, but nearly so. However, they do require some winter chilling to produce fruit. A number of

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

caterpillars Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...

feed on pear tree leaves. For best and most consistent quality, common pears are picked when the fruit matures, but before they are ripe. Fruit allowed to ripen on the tree often drops before it can be picked, and in any event will be hard to pick without bruising. Pears store (and ship) well in their mature but unripe state if kept cold, and can be ripened later, a process called bletting. Some varieties, such as Beurre d'Anjou, ripen only with exposure to cold. Fermented pear juice is called

perry Perry or pear cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally in England (particularly Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire), parts of South Wales, France (especially Normandy and Anjou), Canada, Austral ...

. In Britain, the place name "Perry" can indicate the historical presence of pear trees. Relatively few cultivars of European or Asian pears are widely grown worldwide. Only about 20–25 European and 10–20 Asian cultivars represent virtually all the pears of commerce. Almost all European cultivars were chance seedlings or selections originating in western Europe, mostly France. The Asian cultivars all originated in Japan and China. 'Bartlett' (Williams) is the most common pear cultivar in the world, representing about 75% of US pear production.

Major cultivars

Selected common pear cultivars

Those marked have gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

. * ' Abate Fetel' (syn. Abbé Fetel; a major cultivar in Italy) * 'Ayers' (USA - an interspecific ''P. communis ''×'' P. pyrifolia'' hybrid from the University of Tennessee) * 'Bambinella' (Malta) * 'Beth' * Beurré Hardy/ Gellerts Butterbirne * 'Blake's Pride' (USA) * 'Blanquilla' (or 'pera de agua' and 'blanquilla de Aranjuez', Spain) * 'Butirra Precoce Morettini' * 'Carmen' * 'Clara Frijs' (major cultivar in Denmark) * 'Concorde' (England - a seedling of 'Conference' × 'Doyenné du Comice) * '

Conference A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...

' (England, 1894; the most popular commercial variety in the UK) * 'Corella' (Australia) * 'Coscia' (very early maturing cultivar from Italy) * 'Don Guindo' (Spain - strong yellow, flavoured taste) * 'Doyenné du Comice' (France) * 'Dr. Jules Guyot' * 'Forelle' (Germany) * 'Glou Morceau' (Belgium, 1750) * 'Gorham' (USA) * 'Gracioen' (Belgium) * 'Harrow Delight' (Canada) * 'Harrow Sweet' (Canada) * 'Joséphine de Malines' (Belgium - obtained by Esperen, pomologist and mayor of Malines in the 19th century; one of the best late season pears) * 'Kieffer' (USA - a hybrid of the Chinese "sand pear", ''P. pyrifolia'' and probably 'Bartlett') * 'Laxton's Superb' (England; no longer used due to high susceptibility to fireblight) * 'Louise Bonne of Jersey' * 'Luscious' (USA) * 'Merton Pride' (England, 1941) * 'Onward' (UK) * 'Orient' (USA - an interspecific ''P. communis ''×'' P. pyrifolia'' hybrid) * 'Packham's Triumph' (

, 1896) * 'Pineapple' (USA - an interspecific ''P. communis ''×'' P. pyrifolia'' hybrid) * 'Red Bartlett' (USA - There are three major red-skinned mutant clones: 'Max Red Bartlett', 'Sensation Red Bartlett', 'Rosired Bartlett') * ' Rocha' (Portugal) * 'Rosemarie' (South Africa) * 'Seckel' (USA; late 17th century

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

area; still produced, naturally resistant to fireblight) * 'Starkrimson', also called Red Clapp's, is a red-skinned 1939 Michigan bud mutation of Clapp's Favourite. Its thick, smooth skin is a uniform, bright and intense red, and its creamy flesh is sweet and aromatic. * 'Summer Beauty' * 'Sudduth' * 'Taylor's Gold' (New Zealand - a russeted mutant clone of 'Comice') * Triomphe de Vienne * ' Williams Bonne Chrétienne'

Gallery

Image:Blake's Pride pears.jpg, Blake's Pride pear (Image courtesy of USDA, ARS) Image:Pear peckham 78.jpg, Packham's Triumph pear, or just Packham's pear Image:Clairgeau1.poupou.jpg, Beurré Clairgeau, or Clairgeau pear, an early 19th-century French variety Image:Guteluise1.poupou.jpg, Louise Bonne of Jersey pear, a late 18th-century French pear Image:Pear_pie.jpg, A pear pie Image:Williams Bon Chrétien 1822.png, Williams' Bon Chrétien (commonly Williams or Bartlett) pear, 1822 printing digitized by Google. Image:Pomological Watercolor POM00006921.jpg, Summer Beauty pear - watercolor 1893 Image:Pomological Watercolor POM00006920.jpg, Sudduth pear - watercolor 1895 Image:Poires williams Vertes et Rouges Savoie.jpg, Williams pear red and green Image:Kruška Rana Moretini.jpg, 'Butirra Precoce Morettini' variety Image:Kruška Društvenka.jpg, 'Doyenné du Comice' variety Image:Pomological_Watercolor_POM00007002.jpg, Watercolor of Forelle (Common pear) painted in 1900 by Deborah Griscom Passmore (USDA) File:Common pear tree in early June.JPG, Pyrus Communis in the UBC Botanical Garden Image:Kruška Pastorčica.jpg, 'Vicar of Winkfield' variety File:Päronträd (Pyrus communis) Ystad-2017.jpg, A 104 year old pear tree fell to the ground in a backyard. File:Päronträd - 2013-Ystad.jpg, Pears bloom in May in a backyard.

References

External links

''Pyrus communis'' images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu
{{Taxonbar, from=Q146281 Flora of Middle Europe Flora of Eastern Europe Flora of Western Asia Pears Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus

communis ''Communis'' may refer to: Anatomy * Anulus tendineus communis or annulus of Zinn, a ring of fibrous tissue surrounding the optic nerve * Carotis communis, the common carotid artery * Extensor digitorum communis, a muscle of the posterior fore ...

Fruit trees