Envoy at 15:14, 12 September 2007

2007-09-12T15:14:17Z

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{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Callery Pear
| image = Bradford 8068.JPG
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = Callery Pear fruit in winter
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Rosales]]
| familia = [[Rosaceae]]
| genus = ''[[Pear|Pyrus]]''
| species = '''''P. calleryana'''''
| binomial = ''Pyrus calleryana''
| binomial_authority = [[Joseph Decaisne|Decne.]]
}}

The '''Callery Pear''' (''Pyrus calleryana'') is a species of [[Pyrus|pear]] native to [[China]].

==Description==
It is a [[deciduous]] [[tree]] growing to 15-20 m tall, with a conic to rounded crown. The smell has been compared to many things.

The [[leaf|leaves]] are oval, 4-7 cm long, glossy dark green above, slightly paler below.

The [[flower]]s are produced in early spring before the leaves expand fully, and are white, with five petals, and about 2-3 cm diameter. They have a sickly-sweet smell.

[[Image:pyrus calleryana callery pear blossom.jpg|thumb|left|Callery Pear blossoms]]

The [[fruit]] is less than one cm in diameter, hard, almost woody until softened by frost, after which it is readily taken by [[bird]]s, which disperse the [[seed]]s in their droppings. In [[summer]], the [[foliage]] is dark green and very smooth, and in [[autumn]] the leaves commonly turn brilliant colors, anything from yellow and orange to more common red, pink, purple, and bronze. Sometimes, several of these colors may be present on an individual leaf. However, the color often occurs very late in fall, and the leaves may be killed by a [[frost]] before full color can develop.

==Cultivation==
[[Image:Bradford pear fall 0760.JPG|thumb|Bradford pear in autumn color]]
It is so widely planted throughout [[North America]] as an ornamental tree that the tree (specifically the Bradford Pear) has become a ubiquity in many suburban communities. It is tolerant of a variety of soil types, drainage levels and soil acidity. The [[symmetry]] of several [[cultivar]]s lends to their use in somewhat formal settings, such as [[office park]]s or [[industrial park]]s. It is commonly planted for its decorative value, but its hard little [[fruit]]s are taken by [[bird]]s. Its beautiful white [[blossom]]s can be seen in early [[spring (season)|spring]] along the boulevards of many eastern [[United States|U.S.]] towns. At the latitude of [[Pittsburgh, PA]] the trees often remain green until mid-November, and in warm autumns, the colors are often a brilliant end to the fall color season, while in a cold year they may get frozen off before coloring. In the [[Southern United States|South]], they tend to be among the more reliable coloring trees.

==Invasive species==
The Callery Pear is proving to be an [[invasive species]] in some areas of North America, pushing out native American plants and trees. Seedling plants often differ from the selected cultivars in less regular shape, and also in frequently being densely [[spine (biology)|thorny]].

[[Image:Bradford 9288.JPG|thumb|Bradford Pear in flower, [[Hemingway, South Carolina]]]]

==Cultivars==
There are several cultivars in commerce, including 'Aristocrat', 'Autumn Blaze', 'Bradford' ('''Bradford Pear''', the most commonly planted cultivar), 'Capital', 'Cleveland Select', 'New Bradford', 'Redspire', and 'Whitehouse'.

The neat dense upward growth of 'Bradford', which makes it desirable in cramped [[urban area|urban]] spaces, also results in a multitude of narrow, weak forks, unless corrected by selective [[pruning]] at an early stage. These weak crotches make the Bradford Pear very susceptible to [[storm]] damage where [[snow]]fall is heavy or when [[ice storm]]s occur, or during the high [[wind]]s of severe [[thunderstorm]]s. Because of this, and the relatively short [[lifespan]] that results (typically less than 25 years), many groups have discouraged their use in [[landscaping]] in favor of other stronger trees including other Callery Pear cultivars like 'Cleveland Select', but also encourage the use of more locally native tree species.

==Use==
Callery pear can be used as [[rootstock]] for pear [[cultivar]]s such as [[Comice]], [[Bosc]], or [[Seckel]] and especially for [[nashi pear]]. It's a good way to convert an undesirable tree in a useful one.

==External links==
*[http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/pyca.htm Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas]
*[http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/frame/pyca80.htm ''Pyrus calleryana'' images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu]

[[Category:Pears]]

Callery Pear - Revision history

Envoy at 15:14, 12 September 2007