Wild pear or Bradford pear

[Bowkl]

A buddy has this pear on his place. It is loaded with small fruit the size of ping pong ball to golf ball size. It's growing along the edge of road and new clear cut. Is it a wild pear or invasive bradford. I did not see any thorns on the tree.

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[Native Hunter]

It's probably a pure Callery (Pyrus calleryana) but could also be a cross between Callery and another domestic pear. The fruit looks just like a wild one in the fence row at my yard. Bradford is a named cultivar of Callery.

You will see some with thorns and others that don't have them.

They are invasive in some venues.

 

[Fish]

I hate that they are invasive. They are great cover. About the last to lose leaves around here. With the exception of bush honey........ another invasive

 

[KDdid]

I’ve got several of these darn things too-they are about 6” DBH, I’m thinking about cutting them off and grafting some other pear varieties to them.


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[Bowkl]

I’ve got several of these darn things too-they are about 6” DBH, I’m thinking about cutting them off and grafting some other pear varieties to them.


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Thanks for the replies. I was afraid it was the wrong type.

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[Cap'n]

That would be an extremely big fruit for a Bradford. Most Bradfords would only put on a fruit about as big as a gum ball or marble. They may get bigger down there though, but even the structure of the tree looks to me like it isn't a Bradford. Brad's have a tight uniform structure and a regular fruiting pear doesn't. They are pretty much the opposite in structure too, growing in every conceivable direction.

 

[j-bird]

Like was mentioned - consider using them to graft better varieties of pear to. I killed mine and looking back I should have simply tried to graft to it.....if for nothing else....practice!