Callery Pear

The Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana) is a species of pear native to China. It is a deciduous tree growing to 15-20 m tall, with a conic to rounded crown. The leaves are oval, 4-7 cm long, glossy dark green above, slightly paler below. The flowers 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.

The fruit is less than one cm in diameter, hard, almost woody until softened by frost, after which it is readily taken by birds, which disperse the seeds 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 hard frost before full color can develop.

This tree is amazingly resistant to sicknesses or blight, and is killed more often by storms and high winds than by sickness.

Cultivation: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. Its shape varies from ovate to elliptical. The symmetry of several cultivars lends to their use in somewhat formal settings, such as office parks or industrial parks. It is commonly planted for its decorative value, but its hard little fruits are taken by birds. Its beautiful white blossoms can be seen in early spring along the boulevards of many eastern 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 South, they tend to be among the more reliable coloring trees.