Pyrus communis

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Pyrus communis
Pears.jpg
Common pear branch with fruit
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Pyrus
Species:
P. communis
Binomial name
Pyrus communis
L.
Synonyms [2]
List
    • Crataegus excelsaSalisb.
    • Malus communis(L.) Poir.
    • Pyrenia pyrusClairv.
    • Pyrus achrasGaertn.
    • Pyrus ambrosiacaPoit. & Turpin
    • Pyrus amphigeneaDomin ex Dostalek
    • Pyrus anglicaDruce
    • Pyrus anglicaPoit. & Turpin
    • Pyrus balansaeDecne.
    • Pyrus caucasicaFed.
    • Pyrus caucasica var. schuntukensisTuz
    • Pyrus communis subsp. australeuropaeaTuz
    • Pyrus communis subsp. medioasiaticaTuz
    • Pyrus communis subsp. orientaleuropaeaTuz
    • Pyrus communis subsp. transcaucasicaTuz
    • Pyrus communis var. pompejanaL.
    • Pyrus communis var. pyrasterL.
    • Pyrus communis var. sativaDC.
    • Pyrus communis var. sylvestrisDC.
    • Pyrus communis var. volemaL.
    • Pyrus domestica(Borkh.) Medik.
    • Pyrus karpatianaTerpó
    • Pyrus magyaricaTerpó
    • Pyrus moschataPoit. & Turpin
    • Pyrus papulataPoit. & Turpin
    • Pyrus pyraster(L.) Burgsd.
    • Pyrus pyraster subsp. achras(Gaertn.) Stohr
    • Pyrus pyraster var. achras(Gaertn.) Cinovskis
    • Pyrus pyraster var. relictaDostálek
    • Pyrus pyraster var. rossica(A.D.Danilov) Tuz
    • Pyrus pyraster var. tomentosa(W.D.J.Koch) Dostálek
    • Pyrus rossicaA.D.Danilov
    • Pyrus salviatiPoit. & Turpin
    • Sorbus pyrusCrantz

Pyrus communis, the common pear, is a species of pear native to central and eastern Europe, and western Asia. [3]

Contents

It is one of the most important fruits of temperate regions, being the species from which most orchard pear cultivars grown in Europe, North America, and Australia have been developed. Two other species of pear, the Nashi pear ( Pyrus pyrifolia ) and the hybrid Chinese white or ya pear ( Pyrus × bretschneideri , Chinese :白梨; pinyin :báilí) are more widely grown in East Asia.

Subtaxa

The following subspecies are currently accepted: [2]

Origin

The cultivated Common pear (P. communis subsp. communis) is thought to be descended from two subspecies of wild pears, categorized as P. communis subsp. pyraster (syn. P. pyraster) and P. communis subsp. caucasica (syn. P. caucasica), which are interfertile with domesticated pears. Archeological evidence shows these pears "were collected from the wild long before their introduction into cultivation", according to Zohary and Hopf. [4] Although they point to finds of pears in sites in Neolithic and Bronze Age European sites, "reliable information on pear cultivation first appears in the works of the Greek and the Roman writers." [5] Theophrastus, Cato the Elder, and Pliny the Elder all present information about the cultivation and grafting of pears.[ citation needed ]

Cultivation

Pear tree in flower 2015 Kwiatostan gruszy pospolitej.jpg
Pear tree in flower
Tiny unripe pears Kruska Rana Moretini - mali plodovi.JPG
Tiny unripe pears

Common pear trees are not quite as hardy as apples, but nearly so. However, they do require some winter chilling to produce fruit. A number of Lepidoptera caterpillars feed on pear tree leaves.[ citation needed ]

For best and most consistent quality, common pears are picked when the fruit matures, but before they are ripe. Fruit allowed to ripen on the tree often drops before it can be picked, and in any event will be hard to pick without bruising. Pears store (and ship) well in their mature but unripe state if kept cold, and can be ripened later, a process called bletting. Some varieties, such as Beurre d'Anjou, ripen only with exposure to cold.[ citation needed ]

Fermented pear juice is called perry. In Britain, the place name "Perry" can indicate the historical presence of pear trees.[ citation needed ]

Relatively few cultivars of European or Asian pears are widely grown worldwide. Only about 20–25 European and 10–20 Asian cultivars represent virtually all the pears of commerce.[ citation needed ] Almost all European cultivars were chance seedlings or selections originating in western Europe, mostly France. The Asian cultivars all originated in Japan and China. 'Bartlett' (Williams) is the most common pear cultivar in the world, representing about 75% of US pear production.[ citation needed ]

Major cultivars

Selected common pear cultivars

Those marked agm have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

References

  1. Barstow, M. (2017). "Pyrus communis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T173010A61580281. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T173010A61580281.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Pyrus pseudopashia T.T.Yu". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  3. "Heritage Rare & Iconic Trees - Visit Kew Gardens". kew.org.
  4. Zohary, Daniel; Hopf, Maria; Weiss, Ehud (2012). Domestication of Plants in the Old World: The Origin and Spread of Domesticated Plants in Southwest Asia, Europe, and the Mediterranean Basin (Fourth ed.). Oxford: University Press. p. 176.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  5. Zohary, Daniel; Hopf, Maria; Weiss, Ehud (2012). Domestication of Plants in the Old World: The Origin and Spread of Domesticated Plants in Southwest Asia, Europe, and the Mediterranean Basin (Fourth ed.). Oxford: University Press. p. 177.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  6. "RHS Plant Selector - Pyrus communis 'Beth'". Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  7. "Pero - in Italian" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-22.
  8. "RHS Plant Selector - Pyrus communis 'Comice'". Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  9. "RHS Plant Selector - Pyrus communis 'Conference'". Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  10. "RHS Plant Selector - Pyrus communis 'Joséphine de Malines'". Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  11. "RHS Plant Selector - Pyrus communis 'Louise Bonne of Jersey'". Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  12. "RHS Plant Selector - Pyrus communis 'Onward'". Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  13. U.S. Department of Agriculture. (September 2004.) "Pyrus Crop Germplasm Committee: Report and genetic vulnerability statement, September 2004" Archived 2008-10-10 at the Wayback Machine . (Website.) Germ Resources Information Network (GRIN), pages 5-7, 10. Retrieved on 2007-10-02.
  14. Dris, Ramdane, and S. Mohan Jain (editors.) (2004.) "Production Practices and Quality Assessment of Food Crops: Volume 3, Quality Handling and Evaluation". Springer, page 274, ISBN   978-1-4020-1700-1. Retrieved on 2007-10-10
  15. "RHS Plant Selector - Pyrus communis 'Williams Bonne Chretienne'". Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2013.