Pyrus calleryana
| Pyrus calleryana | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 49' |
| Width: | 49' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Pyrus calleryana (common name: callery pear)
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[1]. Temperatures over 15 - 20°c induce a secondary dormancy in the seed[1]. 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.
Cultivation: Prefers a good well-drained loam in full sun[1]. 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[1]. Established plants are drought tolerant[1]. Grows well on acid soils[2].
Plants are hardy to about -40°c when they are fully dormant[2].
There are many named forms selected for their ornamental value[1]. The cultivar 'Bradford' is resistant to fireblight[3].
Resists fireblight, collar rot, root aphis, pear psylla and root lesion nematodes[2].
Trees have a short dormancy period and lose their leaves late in the season[2].
Range: E. Asia - China, central and southern Japan.
Habitat: Thickets and streamsides to 1500 metres[4]. Slopes, plains, mixed valley forests and thickets at elevations of 100 - 1800 metres[5].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[6]. Best used after it has been exposed to frost[7][8], since this will soften and sweeten the flesh[K]. The fruit is about 25mm in diameter[1].
Usage: This species is widely used as a rootstock[8], especially for cultivars of Pyrus pyrifolia[5]. It is said to induce earlier bearing[2].
The wood of this species is hard and close-grained, and is sometimes used for making furniture and stools[5].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Pollution: Tolerates environmental pollution.
In Leaf: Mid Spring-Late Fall
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Natural Food Institute. Wonder Crops 1987.
- ↑ Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ Wilson, Ernest and Charles Sargent. Plantae Wilsonianae.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.