Eastern Forest Threat Center - Callery Pear

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Callery pear leaves and fruits

Callery pear leaves and fruits

Chuck Bargeron, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org

Callery Pear
Pyrus calleryana

Callery pear is native to China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam. It is commonly called Bradford pear, which is a cultivar of the Callery pear widely used for landscaping residential developments, parking lots, and roadsides.

Keywords: Rosaceae, deciduous, tree, landscaping, teardrop shape, split trunk, white flowers, green to brown fruits, urban, uproot; Common names: Bradford pear

Distribution Map Distribution Source Image

Threat Description

Callery pear is a deciduous tree in the rose family growing 30 to 50 ft. in height and 20 to 30 ft. in width. The overall shape of the tree is often described as a teardrop with the trunk frequently splitting into many smaller branches. Leaves are alternate, simple, and shiny with wavy, slightly toothed margins. Leaves turn yellow, orange, and red in late autumn. White flowers with five petals occur early in the spring before leaves appear. Small, round, green to brown fruits appear during late spring and summer. Callery pear spreads vegetatively and by seeds that are dispersed to new locations by birds that eat the fruit. It grows best in full sun, but will tolerate partial shade. It can be found growing in a variety of soil types and conditions, including occasional wet soils or drought. It withstands the rigors of urban living, such as pollution and poor soil. Callery Pear is often found growing in the company of many other nonnative plants and competes with both the native and nonnative species. This tree has a tendency to split, fall apart, or uproot under wind glaze and snow events.