2000-133 | Arboretum

Birch-Leaved Pear

Catalogue A# 2000-133 PL9

GPS 45D 43' 60" N / 108D 37' 3" W

Pyrus beautifolia

Family: Rosaceae

Origin: Northern China

Common name: Birch-leaved Pear

Location: Old Pond- cross bridge westernmost on left

Number in accession: (2) original (1) surviving

Curator's note: Possible pear x hawthorne

This 14 inch Pear provides overall benefits of: $24 every year.

General Description
• Deciduous tree grows to 30 feet tall
• Wide branching angles, symmetrical, oval crown
Leaves
• Silvery/gray to medium green elliptical shaped leaves
• Finely serrated margins
• Long petioles, hang on slender branchlets
• Yellow-orange in autumn
Flowers
• Blooms in April
• Showy, clusters of 5 to 10 white flowers with red stamens
• Monoecious (both male and female reproductive parts are present)
Fruit
• ¼ inch to 1/3 inch, tan clusters appear in August
• Remains on tree longer than most other pears
Habitat
• Woodland edge, open slopes
• Tolerates a range of soil conditions, but prefers moist, well-drained soil
• Full sun to part shade
• Pollution tolerant
Commercially Available
Yes
Look-alikes
Pyrus communis (Common Pear)
Pyrus calleryana (Callery Pear)

CRITIQUE

Pyrus betulifolia, called Tang Li in Chinese and Birchleaf pear in English, is a deciduous wild pear tree that lives in the leafy forests of northern and central China. Under optimal conditions for growth it can reach 10 meters high. Its leaves are protected from the predation by herbivores with stems modified as formidable thorns. Its narrow and extended leaves are very similar to those of the birch, though smaller. Hence comes the scientific name "betulifolia" meaning birch leaf.