Pear

Pearsare 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 aspeciesofgenusPyrus/ˈpaɪrəs/, in thefamilyRosaceae, bearing thepomaceousfruit 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 instrumentsandfurniture.
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, orfermentedasperry.
The wordpearis probably from Germanicperaas aloanwordofVulgar Latinpira, the plural ofpirum, akin to Greekapios(from Mycenaeanápisos),of Semitic origin (pirâ), meaning "fruit". The adjectivepyriformorpiriformmeans pear-shaped.The classical Latin word for a pear tree ispirus;pyrusis an alternate form of this word sometimes used inmedieval Latin.
The pear isnativeto coastal, temperate, and mountainous regions of theOld World, from Western Europe and North Africa east across Asia.They are medium-sized trees, reaching up to 20 m tall, often with a tall, narrow crown; a few pear species areshrubby.
Theleavesare alternately arranged, simple,2–12 cm (1–4+1⁄2in) long, glossy green on some species, densely silvery-hairy in some others; leaf shape varies from broad oval to narrow lanceolate.Most pears aredeciduous, but one or two species in Southeast Asia areevergreen.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.Evergreen species only tolerate temperatures down to about −12 °C (10 °F).
Theflowersare white, rarely tinted yellow or pink,2–4 centimetres (1–1+1⁄2in) diameter, and have fivepetals, fivesepals, and numerousstamens.Like that of the relatedapple, the pear fruit is apome, in most wild species1–4 cm (1⁄2–1+1⁄2in) diameter, but in some cultivated forms up to 18 cm (7 in) long and9 cm (3+1⁄2in) broad.The shape varies in most species from oblate or globose, to the classic pyriform "pear shape" of theEuropean pearwith an elongated basal portion and a bulbous end.
The fruit is apseudofruitcomposed of the receptacle or upper end of the flower stalk (the so-calledcalyxtube) greatly dilated.Enclosed within its cellular flesh is the true fruit: 2–5 'cartilaginous'carpels,known colloquially as the "core".
Pears and apples cannot always be distinguished by the form of the fruit;some pears look very much like some apples, e.g. thenashi pear.
Pear cultivationintemperate climatesextends to the remotest antiquity, and evidence exists of its use as a food since prehistoric times. Many traces have been found inprehistoric pile dwellings around Lake Zurich.Pears were cultivated in China as early as 2000 BC.An article on Pear tree cultivation inSpainis brought down inIbn al-'Awwam's 12th-century agricultural work,Book on Agriculture.
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 Candolleto infer a very ancient cultivation of the tree from the shores of the Caspian to those of the Atlantic.
The pear was also cultivated by the Romans, who ate the fruits raw or cooked, just like apples.Pliny'sNatural Historyrecommended stewing them withhoneyand noted three dozen varieties. The Roman cookbookDe re coquinariahas a recipe for a spiced, stewed-pearpatina, orsoufflé.Romans also introduced the fruit to Britain.
Pyrus nivalis, which has white down on theundersurfaceof the leaves, is chiefly used in Europe in the manufacture ofperry(see alsocider).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.
Thegenusis thought to have originated in present-dayWestern Chinain 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.The enormous number of varieties of the cultivated European pear (Pyrus communissubsp.communis), are likely derived from one or two wildsubspecies(P. c.subsp.pyrasterandP. c.subsp.caucasica), widely distributed throughout Europe, and sometimes forming part of the natural vegetation of the forests.Court accounts ofHenry III of Englandrecord pears shipped from La Rochelle-Normande and presented to the king by the sheriffs of the City of London.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 ofSenlisin northern France.
Asian species with medium to large edible fruit includeP. pyrifolia,P. ussuriensis,P. × bretschneideri, andP. × sinkiangensis.Small-fruited species, such asPyrus calleryana,may be used asrootstocksfor the cultivated forms.
The genus can be divided into twosubgenera—PyrusandPashia. 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. sinkiangensisappears to have arisen from a hybridisation event betweenP. communisand eitherP. pyrifoliaorP. bretschneideri,i.e. a hybridisation between a member of the Occidental clade and a member of the Oriental clade.As of December 2024,Plants of the World Onlineaccepts the following 74 species.
According to Pear Bureau Northwest, about 3,000 known varieties of pears are grown worldwide.The pear is normally propagated bygraftinga selected variety onto arootstock, which may be of a pear orquincevariety. Quince rootstocks produce smaller trees, which is often desirable in commercial orchards or domestic gardens. For new varieties the flowers can becross-bredto preserve or combine desirable traits. The fruit of the pear is produced on spurs, which appear on shoots more than one year old.
There are four species which are primarily grown for edible fruit production: theEuropean pearPyrus communissubsp.communiscultivated 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.There are thousands ofcultivarsof these three species.A species grown in western China,P. sinkiangensis, andP. pashia, grown in southern China and south Asia, are also produced to a lesser degree.
Other species are used asrootstocksfor European and Asian pears and asornamental trees.Pear wood is close-grained and has been used as a specialized timber for fine furniture and making the blocks forwoodcuts.The Manchurian or Ussurian Pear,Pyrus ussuriensis(which producesunpalatablefruit primarily used for canning) has been crossed withPyrus communisto breed hardier pear cultivars.The Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana'Bradford') is widespread as an ornamental tree in North America, where it has becomeinvasivein regions.It is also used as a blight-resistant rootstock forPyrus communisfruit orchards.The Willow-leaved pear (Pyrus salicifolia) is grown for its silvery leaves, flowers, and its "weeping" form.
The followingcultivarshave gained theRoyal Horticultural Society'sAward of Garden Merit:
The purely decorative cultivarP. salicifolia'Pendula', with pendulous branches and silvery leaves, has also won the award.
Summer and autumncultivarsofPyrus communis, beingclimacteric fruits, are gathered before they are fully ripe, while they are still green, but snap off when lifted.Certain other pears, includingPyrus pyrifoliaandP. × bretschneideri, have both climacteric and non-climacteric varieties.
In 2022, world production of pears was 26 milliontonnes, led byChinawith 73% of the total (table).About 48% of theSouthern Hemisphere's pears are produced in thePatagonianvalley ofRío Negroin Argentina.
Pears may be stored at room temperature until ripe.Pears are ripe when the flesh around the stem gives to gentle pressure.Ripe pears are optimally stored refrigerated, uncovered in a single layer, where they have a shelf life of 2 to 3 days.
Pears ripen at room temperature. Ripening is accelerated by the gasethylene.If pears are placed next tobananasin a fruit bowl, the ethylene emitted by the banana causes the pears to ripen.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).
Pears are consumed fresh, canned, asjuice, anddried. The juice can also be used injelliesandjams, usually in combination with other fruits, including berries. Fermented pear juice is calledperryor pear cider and is made in a way that is similar to howcideris made from apples.Perry can be distilled to produce aneau de viede poire, a colorless, unsweetened fruit brandy.
Pear purée is used to manufacture snack foods such asFruit by the FootandFruit Roll-Ups.
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).
Pear wood is one of the preferred materials in the manufacture of high-qualitywoodwindinstruments andfurniture, and was used for making the carved blocks forwoodcuts. It is also used for wood carving, and as afirewoodto 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. Lincolndescribes 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.
Raw pear is 84% water, 15%carbohydratesand contains negligibleproteinandfat(table). In a100 g (3+1⁄2oz) reference amount, raw pear supplies 239 kilojoules (57 kilocalories) offood energy, a moderate amount ofdietary fiber, and nomicronutrientsin significant amounts (table).
A 2019 review found preliminary evidence for the potential of pear consumption to favorably affect cardiovascular health.
Pears grow in the sublimeorchardofAlcinous, in theOdysseyvii: "Therein grow trees, tall and luxuriant, pears andpomegranatesandapple-trees with their bright fruit, and sweetfigs, and luxuriantolives. Of these the fruit perishes not nor fails inwinteror in summer, but lasts throughout the year."
"APartridgein a Pear Tree" is the first gift in thecumulative song"The Twelve Days of Christmas".
The pear tree was an object of particular veneration (as was thewalnut) in thetree worshipof theNakh peoplesof theNorth Caucasus– seeVainakh mythologyand see alsoIngushetia– the best-known of the Vainakh peoples today being theChechensofChechnya. 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.