Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in late summer into mid-autumn. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus Pyrus, in the family Rosaceae, bearing the pomaceous fruit of the same name. Several species of pears are valued for their edible fruit and juices, while others are cultivated as trees.
Pyrus calleryana, also known as the Callery pear or Bradford pear, is a species of pear tree native to China and Vietnam, in the family Rosaceae. It is most commonly known for its cultivar 'Bradford' and its offensive odor, widely planted throughout the United States and increasingly regarded as an invasive species.
Onopordum, or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturbed land, roadsides, arable land and pastures.
Pyrus communis, the common pear, is a species of pear native to central and eastern Europe, and western Asia.
Chaetosciadium is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Apiaceae. Its only species is Chaetosciadium trichospermum. the only species of the genus Chaetosciadium. It is native to Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Saudi Arabia. It is common in Israel.
Zelkova abelicea is a species of tree in the family Ulmaceae. It is referred to by the common names Cretan zelkova, and on Crete proper as abelitsia (αμπελιτσιά). It is endemic to Crete. It is found in small numbers and is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN red list of endangered species.
Viscum cruciatum, commonly called the red-berry mistletoe, is a species of mistletoe in the family Santalaceae. It is native to Lebanon, Morocco, Israel, Palestine, Portugal, Spain, and Syria.
Salvia hierosolymitana is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is a herbaceous perennial commonly called Jerusalem salvia or Jerusalem sage that is native to the eastern Mediterranean, with populations in Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank. It typically grows in open fields, rocky soils, and among low-growing native shrubs. It was first described in 1853 by botanist Pierre Edmond Boissier, with the epithet "hierosolymitana" referring to "royal, sacred Jerusalem".
Papaver umbonatum is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae. It is referred to by the common name Semitic poppy. It is often confused and misidentified as Papaver rhoeas even though it is classified as the rest of the subspecies, since they are very similar in form and appearance. Its native range includes the rocky plains of Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Israel.
Halothamnus lancifolius is a species of the plant genus Halothamnus, that belongs to the subfamily Salsoloideae within the family Amaranthaceae,. It occurs in Southwest Asia.
Pyrus pashia, the wild Himalayan pear, is a small to medium size deciduous tree of the small and oval shaped crown with ovate, finely toothed leaves, attractive white flowers with red anthers and small pear-like fruits. It is a fruit bearing tree that is native to southern Asia. Locally, it is known by many names such as batangi (Urdu), tangi (Kashmiri), mahal mol (Hindi) and passi (Nepal).
Pyrus bourgaeana, the Iberian pear, is a close relative of Pyrus communis L. The latter was domesticated about 2500 years ago. This small tree is widely distributed across the southern Iberian Peninsula and northern Morocco, where it coexists with four Pyrus species: P. communis L., P. cordata Dew., P. spinosa Forssk, and P. nivalis Jacq. Characteristics to discriminate these species are the width of fruit peduncle, petal size, leaf width and petiole length served to the taxa.
Pyrus cordata, the Heart-leaved pear or Plymouth pear, is a rare wild species of pear belonging to the family Rosaceae. It gets its name in Spanish, Portuguese and French from the shape of its leaves. In the UK, it is known as Plymouth Pear after the city of Plymouth in Devon, where it was originally found in 1870 The Plymouth pear was one of the British trees to be funded under English Natures Species Recovery Programme.
Allium carmeli is a species of perennial in the Amaryllidaceae family. It is found in Israel, Syria and Lebanon.
Allium sindjarense is a species of flowering plant in the Amaryllidaceae family.
Crocus hyemalis is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae. It is referred to by the common name winter saffron and is native to Lebanon-Syria and the Palestine region.
Quercus vulcanica is a species of flowering plant in the Fagaceae family. It is referred to by the common name Kasnak oak, and is a rare species of tree native to Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey. It is placed in section Quercus.
Crocus ochroleucus is species of flowering plant in the Iridaceae family. It is a cream-colored crocus native to Lebanon, Palestine and Syria.
Pyrus glabra,, is a species wild pear native to Iran. Preferring to grow in the Zagros Mountains at about 2000 m above sea level, it is a small, spiny tree, typically 4.6 m tall, reaching 7.8 m. The plant was said to exude a sweet substance called manna of Luristan, which was collected by locals and consumed. Its fruit are heavy with tannins and very sour, but are still gathered in the wild for the vegetable oil in the seeds, which are larger than typical pear seeds. The oil keeps for a long time and is high in omega-6 fatty acids.
Quercus look, the look oak or Mount Hermon oak, is a species of oak in subgenus Cerris, section Cerris, native to the Levant region of Western Asia, including northern Israel, Lebanon, and Syria. Of the local oak species, it prefers to grow at the highest altitudes, for instance at c. 1800 m on Mount Hermon.
