Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and are harvested in late summer into mid-autumn. The pear tree and shrub are aspecies ofgenusPyrus/ˈpaɪrəs/, in thefamilyRosaceae, bearing thepomaceous fruit of the same name. Several species of pears are valued for their edible fruit and juices, while others are cultivated as trees.
The tree is medium-sized and native to coastal and mildly temperate regions of Europe, North Africa, and Asia. Pear wood is one of the preferred materials in the manufacture of high-qualitywoodwind instruments andfurniture.
About 3,000 known varieties of pears are grown worldwide, which vary in both shape and taste. The fruit is consumed fresh,canned, asjuice,dried, orfermented asperry.
The wordpear is probably from the Germanicpera as aloanword ofVulgar Latinpira, the plural ofpirum, akin to Greekapios (from Mycenaeanápisos),[1] of Semitic origin (pirâ), meaning "fruit". The adjectivepyriform orpiriform means pear-shaped.[2] The classical Latin word for a pear tree ispirus;[3]pyrus is an alternate form of this word sometimes used inmedieval Latin.[4]
The pear isnative to coastal, temperate, and mountainous region, It is found from Western Europe and North Africa east across Asia.[5][6] They are medium-sized trees, reaching up to 20 m tall, often with a tall, narrow crown; a few pear species areshrubby.[7][8]
Theleaves are alternately arranged, simple, 2–12 cm (1–4+1⁄2 in) long, glossy green on some species, densely silvery-hairy in some others; leaf shape varies from broad oval to narrow lanceolate.[8] Most pears aredeciduous, but one or two species in Southeast Asia areevergreen.[8][9] Some pears are cold-hardy, withstanding temperatures as low as −25 to −40 °C (−13 to −40 °F) in winter, but many grown for agriculture are vulnerable to cold damage.[5][10] Evergreen species only tolerate temperatures down to about −12 °C (10 °F).[11]
Theflowers are white, rarely tinted yellow or pink,2–4 centimetres (1–1+1⁄2 in) diameter, and have fivepetals, fivesepals, and numerousstamens.[8][12] Like that of the relatedapple, the pear fruit is apome, in most wild species1–4 cm (1⁄2–1+1⁄2 in) diameter, but in some cultivated forms up to 18 cm (7 in) long and9 cm (3+1⁄2 in) broad.[8] The shape varies in most species from oblate or globose, to the classic pyriform "pear shape" of theEuropean pear with an elongated basal portion and a bulbous end.[10]
The fruit is apseudofruit composed of the receptacle or upper end of the flower stalk (the so-calledcalyx tube) greatly dilated.[8] Enclosed within its cellular flesh is the true fruit: 2–5 'cartilaginous'carpels,[5][13] known colloquially as the "core".[8]
A bee pollinating on a pear tree blossom
Pears and apples cannot always be distinguished by the form of the fruit;[14] some pears look very much like some apples, e.g. thenashi pear.[7][15]
The wordpear, or its equivalent, occurs in all theCeltic languages, while in Slavic and other dialects, differing appellations still referring to the same thing are found—a diversity and multiplicity ofnomenclature, which ledAlphonse Pyramus de Candolle to infer a very ancient cultivation of the tree from the shores of the Caspian to those of the Atlantic.[19]
The pear was also cultivated by the Romans, who ate the fruits raw or cooked, just like apples.[20]Pliny'sNatural History recommended stewing them withhoney and noted three dozen varieties. The Roman cookbookDe re coquinaria has a recipe for a spiced, stewed-pearpatina, orsoufflé.[21] Romans also introduced the fruit to Britain.[22]
Pyrus nivalis, which has white down on theundersurface of the leaves, is chiefly used in Europe in the manufacture ofperry (see alsocider).[19][23][24] Other small-fruited pears, distinguished by their early ripening and globose fruit, may be referred to asP. cordata, a species found wild in southwestern Europe.[25][26][27]
Thegenus is thought to have originated in present-dayWestern China[28] in the foothills of theTian Shan, a mountain range of Central Asia, and to have spread to the north and south along mountain chains, evolving into a diverse group of over 20 widely recognized primary species.[9] The enormous number of varieties of the cultivated European pear (Pyrus communis subsp.communis), are likely derived from one or two wildsubspecies (P. c. subsp.pyraster andP. c. subsp.caucasica), widely distributed throughout Europe, and sometimes forming part of the natural vegetation of the forests.[5][8] Court accounts ofHenry III of England record pears shipped from La Rochelle-Normande and presented to the king by the sheriffs of the City of London.[29] The French names of pears grown in English medieval gardens suggest that their reputation, at the least, was French; a favoured variety in the accounts was named for SaintRieul of Senlis, Bishop ofSenlis in northern France.[30]
Asian species with medium to large edible fruit includeP. pyrifolia,P. ussuriensis,P. × bretschneideri, andP. × sinkiangensis.[8] Small-fruited species, such asPyrus calleryana, may be used asrootstocks for the cultivated forms.[5][31]
The genus can be divided into twosubgenera—Pyrus andPashia. SubgenusPyrus, the Occidentalclade, is distributed mainly in the western portion of Eurasia and North Africa, while subgenusPashia, the Oriental clade, is native toEast Asia. The two subgenera come in contact inXingjiang, China, and in factP. sinkiangensis appears to have arisen from a hybridisation event betweenP. communis and eitherP. pyrifolia orP. bretschneideri, i.e. a hybridisation between a member of the Occidental clade and a member of the Oriental clade.[32] As of December 2024,Plants of the World Online accepts the following 74 species.[33]
(Left to right, top to bottom) Korean pear, Bosc pear, Forelle pear, red D'Anjou pear, Bartlett pear, green D'Anjou pear, Seckel pear, Comice pearMany varieties, such as theNashi pear, are not "pear-shaped".
According to Pear Bureau Northwest, about 3,000 known varieties of pears are grown worldwide.[34] The pear is normally propagated bygrafting a selected variety onto arootstock, which may be of a pear orquince variety. Quince rootstocks produce smaller trees, which is often desirable in commercial orchards or domestic gardens. For new varieties the flowers can becross-bred to preserve or combine desirable traits. The fruit of the pear is produced on spurs, which appear on shoots more than one year old.[35]
There are four species which are primarily grown for edible fruit production: theEuropean pearPyrus communis subsp.communis cultivated mainly in Europe and North America, the Chinese white pear (bai li)Pyrus × bretschneideri, the Chinese pearPyrus ussuriensis, and theNashi pearPyrus pyrifolia (also known as Asian pear or apple pear), which are grown mainly in eastern Asia.[5] There are thousands ofcultivars of these three species.[34] A species grown in western China,P. sinkiangensis, andP. pashia, grown in southern China and south Asia, are also produced to a lesser degree.[5][8]
Other species are used asrootstocks for European and Asian pears and asornamental trees.[5][31] Pear wood is close-grained and has been used as a specialized timber for fine furniture and making the blocks forwoodcuts.[36][37] The Manchurian or Ussurian Pear,Pyrus ussuriensis (which producesunpalatable fruit primarily used for canning) has been crossed withPyrus communis to breed hardier pear cultivars.[38] The Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana 'Bradford') is widespread as an ornamental tree in North America, where it has becomeinvasive in regions.[39][40][41] It is also used as a blight-resistant rootstock forPyrus communis fruit orchards.[38][39] The Willow-leaved pear (Pyrus salicifolia) is grown for its silvery leaves, flowers, and its "weeping" form.[5][42]
Summer and autumncultivars ofPyrus communis, beingclimacteric fruits, are gathered before they are fully ripe, while they are still green, but snap off when lifted.[8][52] Certain other pears, includingPyrus pyrifolia andP. × bretschneideri, have both climacteric and non-climacteric varieties.[5][53][54]
Pears may be stored at room temperature until ripe.[57] Pears are ripe when the flesh around the stem gives to gentle pressure.[57] Ripe pears are optimally stored refrigerated, uncovered in a single layer, where they have a shelf life of 2 to 3 days.[57]
Pears ripen at room temperature. Ripening is accelerated by the gasethylene.[58] If pears are placed next tobananas in a fruit bowl, the ethylene emitted by the banana causes the pears to ripen.[59] Refrigeration will slow further ripening. According to Pear Bureau Northwest, most varieties show little color change as they ripen (though the skin on Bartlett pears changes from green to yellow as they ripen).[60]
Pears are consumed fresh, canned, asjuice, anddried. The juice can also be used injellies andjams, usually in combination with other fruits, including berries. Fermented pear juice is calledperry or pear cider and is made in a way that is similar to howcider is made from apples.[5][10] Perry can be distilled to produce aneau de vie de poire, a colorless, unsweetened fruit brandy.[61]
The culinary or cooking pear is green but dry and hard, and only edible after several hours of cooking. Two Dutch cultivars areGieser Wildeman (a sweet variety) andSaint Remy (slightly sour).[63]
Pear wood is one of the preferred materials in the manufacture of high-qualitywoodwind instruments andfurniture, and was used for making the carved blocks forwoodcuts. It is also used for wood carving, and as afirewood to produce aromatic smoke for smoking meat ortobacco. Pear wood is valued for kitchen spoons, scoops and stirrers, as it does not contaminate food with color, flavor or smell, and resists warping and splintering despite repeated soaking and drying cycles. Lincoln[64] describes it as "a fairly tough, very stable wood... (used for) carving... brushbacks, umbrella handles, measuring instruments such as set squares and T-squares... recorders... violin and guitar fingerboards and piano keys... decorative veneering." Pearwood is the favored wood for architect's rulers because it does not warp. It is similar to the wood of its relative, the apple tree (Malus domestica) and used for many of the same purposes.[64]
Raw pear is 84% water, 15%carbohydrates and contains negligibleprotein andfat (table). In a100 g (3+1⁄2 oz) reference amount, raw pear supplies 239 kilojoules (57 kilocalories) offood energy, a moderate amount ofdietary fiber, and nomicronutrients in significant amounts (table).
Pears grow in the sublimeorchard ofAlcinous, in theOdyssey vii: "Therein grow trees, tall and luxuriant, pears andpomegranates andapple-trees with their bright fruit, and sweetfigs, and luxuriantolives. Of these the fruit perishes not nor fails inwinter or in summer, but lasts throughout the year."[68]
The pear tree was an object of particular veneration (as was thewalnut) in thetree worship of theNakh peoples of theNorth Caucasus – seeVainakh mythology and see alsoIngushetia – the best-known of the Vainakh peoples today being theChechens ofChechnya. Pear and walnut trees were held to be the sacred abodes of beneficent spirits in pre-Islamic Chechen religion and, for this reason, it was forbidden to fell them.[70]
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^Lyle, Katie Letcher (2010) [2004].The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants, Mushrooms, Fruits, and Nuts: How to Find, Identify, and Cook Them (2nd ed.). Guilford, CN:FalconGuides. p. 105.ISBN978-1-59921-887-8.OCLC560560606.
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