Pyrus pyraster
(L.) Burgsd.
Wild pear
Wikimedia Commons - Rosaceae_-_Pyrus_pyraster_-_Perastro-1.JPG
(c) konstantin_m, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) konstantin_m, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit, Flowers - tea
The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked and is often borne in abundance, reaching up to 35mm in diameter. It ripens from late summer into early autumn. Freshly picked fruit is rather hard and astringent, but once it falls from the tree it bletts quickly, developing a good flavour and becoming soft and quite juicy.
Where to Find It
It is a temperate plant. It is native to Central and SW Europe. It suits hardiness zones 4-9. Arboretum Tasmania.
Albania, Asia, Australia, Balkans, Belarus, Bosnia, Britain, Bulgaria, China, Estonia, Europe, Hungary, India, Italy, Lithuana, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mediterranean, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovenia, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye, Ukraine,
How to Identify
A spreading tree. It grows 9 m high and spreads 9 m wide. The branches and twigs have thorns. The leaves are thin and oval. They are 5 cm long. The flowers are small and white. They have a scent. The fruit are small and pear shaped. They occur in clusters. They have brown speckles when ripe.
How to Grow
Prefers a good well-drained loam in full sun. 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. Established plants are drought tolerant. Plants are hardy to about -15°c.
Propagation: Seed is best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in autumn, when it will typically germinate in mid to late winter. Stored seed requires 8–10 weeks of cold stratification at 1°C and should be sown as early in the year as possible. Temperatures above 15–20°C can induce a secondary dormancy. Prick out seedlings into individual pots once large enough to handle, and grow on in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse through their first year. Plant out in late spring or early summer the following year.
Medicinal Uses
None known
Other Uses
None known
Wikipedia
Source ↗Pyrus pyraster (syn. Pyrus communis subsp. pyraster), also called European wild pear, is a species of pear of the family Rosaceae. This wild pear and Pyrus caucasica (syn. P. communis subsp. caucasica) are thought to be the ancestors of the cultivated European pear (Pyrus communis subsp. communis). Both the wild pears are interfertile with domesticated pears. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish Pyrus pyraster from a common pear. Pyrus pyraster can reach an age of 100 to 150 years.
Notes
Name used for European wild relative of the cultivated pear
Names & Synonyms
Diva krusha, Divlja kruska, Drobnica, Grusza, Hroshka, Hrusa, Kriause, Metsik pirnipuu, Par salbatic, Pero selvatico
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