Ornamental Pear

Pyrus calleryana
Family:Rosaceae (Rose Family)
Podcast Script

Whole Tree	Bark
Leaf	Fruit

Classification:

Angiosperm, Dicot, deciduous

Size:

Matures to about 45 feet tall and 20 feet across

Identifying Features:

Bark- Grey to white with shallow ridges along the surface.
Flowers- Small white flowers 2-3 cm in diameter. Flowers have a distinct smell.
Leaves- green leaves in the shapes of water droplets 5-8 cm in length. They turn red in the fall before falling off
Fruit- Small green fruit the size of a marble. NOT EDIBLE to humans although birds can eat them.

Location/Habitat:

Can survive in almost any climate. From hot climates with little rain to cold rainy areas.
Grown all over the United States.

Flower/Fruit/Reproduction:

Trees flower in the early spring. Blossoms stay open for 1-2 weeks. During the early summer fruit begins to mature and by the middle of the summer the fruit is ripe.

Water/Sun Requirements:

can survive during long hot dry days of summer and can also survive through the icy winters in the Northern parts of the United States.

Special Adaptations:

When birds eat the seeds they distribute the seeds.
Thick waxy layer on the top sides of the leaves to prevent the loss of water.

Other Info:

The tree goes dormant during the winter.
Pyrus calleryana is originally from China but was brought to the United States in the 1900s.

Reference Sources/Links:

.www.wikipedia.org/pyrus
www.nps.gov/plants/pyrus
www.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/pyrus

Created By Elliot R. 2007