''Pyrus oxyprion'' 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 ...

in the family

Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus '' Rosa''. The family includes herbs, shrubs, and trees. Most species are deciduous, but som ...

that is native to the mountainous regions of Armenia, Turkey, Georgia and Iran. This deciduous

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

or small tree grows 3–5 metres tall with an irregular, spreading form, featuring grey-brown branches with stout spines and dark brown, densely leafy young shoots. It bears narrow, elliptical leaves with sharp-toothed margins, white five-petalled flowers arranged in clusters of 7–12 blooms, and produces somewhat pear-shaped, green-yellow fruits about 3 centimetres in diameter when ripe. The species grows on dry, rocky slopes and in open thickets between 600 and 1700 metres above sea level, preferring well-drained soils and full sun, and is currently classified as a

near-threatened species A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qu ...

on the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...

Description

''Pyrus oxyprion'' is a deciduous

or small tree, typically 3–5 m tall, with an irregular, often spreading . Older branches are grey‑brown and armed with stout spines; young are dark brown and densely leafy. are broadly , about 5 by 4 mm, and covered in a dense, short woolly hair (). Leaves are narrow, shaped from to long‑elliptic (broadest above the middle), 3–8 by 0.7–2.0 cm; they have an acute tip and taper gradually to the base, with irregularly sharp along the margin. The upper surface of the leaf is smooth and glossy, while the lower surface bears scattered hairs that soon wear away. Flower clusters () comprise 7–12 white, five‑petalled flowers, each about 2 cm across; individual flowers have a short stalk () 2.0–2.5 cm long, and a cup‑shaped densely covered in hairs. There are typically five styles and 15–21 arranged in two rings. Fruit is a (somewhat pear‑shaped) about 3 cm in diameter, green‑yellow when ripe, with numerous gritty cells and persistent appressed to its surface.

Habitat and distribution

This species occurs on dry, rocky slopes and open thickets in montane areas of

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

, north‑eastern

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

and north‑western

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, from about 600 m up to 1700 m above sea level. It often grows with other scrub species and under light woodland cover, favouring well‑drained soils and full sun. The

suggests that it is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

; however, the species is listed as present in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, Nakhchivan, and

Kermanshah Province Kermanshah province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, bordering Iraq. Its capital is the city of Kermanshah. According to a 2014 segmentation by the Ministry of Interior (Iran), Ministry of Interior, it is the center of Regions of Iran ...

Taxonomy

''Pyrus oxyprion'' was first validly published by Woronow in 1916 (as cited by Maleev 1971). It has sometimes been treated as a

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

of ''Pyrus syriaca'' owing to similarities in leaf and fruit characters, but most modern authorities recognise it as a distinct species based on its narrowly oblanceolate, coarsely leaves with attenuate bases and its characteristic subpyriform fruit. Specimens referred to this species have been collected in the province of

Kars Kars ( or ; ; ) is a city in northeast Turkey. It is the seat of Kars Province and Kars District.� ...

(now in Turkey) and verified in

herbaria A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for scientific study. The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sheet of paper (called ...

across the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

region. A

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical dat ...

study places it as most closely related to '' P. sosnovskyi'' (Fed.) and '' P. georgica'' (Kuth.).

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5436109 oxyprion Endemic flora of Turkey Trees of Turkey Near threatened flora of Asia Taxonomy articles created by Polbot