Japanese name: セイヨウナシ（西洋梨） Scientific name:Pyrus communis
[Overview]
A deciduous tree 15–20 m tall.
Leaves are simple and alternate, ovate to oblong-ovate, glossy, with fine serrations.
The flowers are white, five-petaled, and bloom in April.
Whereas the Japanese pear is nearly spherical, the fruit has a distinctive conical shape that narrows slightly toward the top, though the shape varies greatly.
The skin is green with many brown spots.
The flesh is hard and not very sweet, but after harvest, once ripened off the tree, it becomes sweet and soft in texture and gives off a strong fragrance.
There are many cultivars.
[History]
In Europe there are records of cultivation from before the Common Era, but full-scale cultivation began only after the 11th century.
It was introduced to Japan at the beginning of the Meiji period, but because it prefers a cool climate it did not suit the Japanese climate, and its cultivation did not become widespread.
Even now it is grown only in the Tohoku and Shin'etsu regions, whose climate is close to that of northern Europe.
[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings.
It prefers well-drained soil.
Do not plant Ibuki plants, the intermediate host of pear rust, nearby.
