Pear ID

[JBFARM]

First attempt to attach photos. I am trying to ID a pear on my property, and Native Hunter had suggested submitting some pic's. Before getting into the details of what I can tell you about the pears, I'm trying to find out how this test pic comes through on this post. Thanks.... Jb

 

[JBFARM]

First attempt to attach photos. I am trying to ID a pear on my property, and Native Hunter had suggested submitting some pic's. Before getting into the details of what I can tell you about the pears, I'm trying to find out how this test pic comes through on this post. Thanks.... Jb

Looks like the pictures loaded. This pear tree, actually two growing beside each other, were the result of a blow down that looks to have happened years ago. The trunks grew straight up (suckers?) from the stump. Some of the pears are turning a light yellow color, while others are rotting on the limbs. The only dropped fruit I see on the ground is some rotting pears, but noticed a few remains of some yellow ones where some wildlife has ate them. The pears are firm, and the yellow one I cut open where crunchy to the bite, similar to an apple, and tasted somewhat like an apple. Is it possibly one of the Asian pears? Thanks.... Jb

 

[Native Hunter]

Good pictures and information JB. Let's look at some of the things we now know.

First, these came back as root suckers. If the original pear tree at that location was a grafted pear (which is highly likely) what you now have is not related in any way to the grafted variety. It is a clone of the rootstock. The rootstock could have been one of the common ones like nurseries use (such as the various OHxF choices) or some nurseries just grow seedling pears and graft to those. Every seedling pear is a new variety that has attributes of its own, just like ever person is a new person.................

Based on the above paragraph, it could very well be either of those. I have never studied what kind of fruit any of the common pear rootstocks produce, but maybe someone else here has studied that and can chime in. If it was grafted to a seedling, you have the only one of those pears in the world..............

Another possibility is that the original pear was started by a cutting or root sucker of a named variety. That is possible but probably less likely. But for discussion sake, lets assume it was. What we now know is that your pear is not a late dropping variety like Kieffer, Warren, etc. By the looks we can also rule out many of the early varieties that don't look similar. Century Farm has a picture of an early pear called Plumblee on their web site that looks a lot like your pear. Unfortunately, I don't grow that pear so can't tell you anything about its attributes.

Your pear ripens about the same time as Ayers, but we can easily see from your pictures that it isn't that one. Your pear looks a little more like Moonglow, but there is just enough visible difference that we can eliminate that one too.

For the Asian versus European discussion, that can be really cloudy, because the two types of pears have been known to cross pollinate and produce pears with attributes of both parents. Kieffer is thought to be one such pear, although I'm not sure anyone could actually prove that.

One thing I find interesting is that I had a pear to come back from a rootstock and now produces early pears almost exactly to your description. The ripen real early, hang on the tree until they rot, the flesh is like you describe, and my pears look very similar to yours. This leads me to believe that you and I could both have a pear from the same rootstock.

I probably haven't helped you much, but I did maybe help to eliminate some possibilities. Pic of my rootstock pear is shown below:

 

[JBFARM]

Thank you Native Hunter. I now understand how these are clones of the root stock. My five acres were surveyed from a 350 acre dairy farm fifty-one years ago, and my house was built at that time. The area with the tree in question, is in a thicket of approximately fifty feet in diameter. The tree in the pictures has, what looks like to me, Bradford Pear intermingled in the canopy. The entire thicket is a mess with a huge Bradford Pear, smaller Bradford Pears, two other trees bearing fruit similar as above but with fruit only the size of a golf ball, Mimosa, and Privy Hedge. Not to mention some wicked briars an inch in diameter and growing to the heavens. I had hoped that it was some heirloom variety from the old farmstead that just needed some attention. I'll get in there this winter and remove the undesirables but leave this root stock tree until I have established some other trees. They are not interfering with anything and it does look as if the coons, birds, may be using some of the fruit. There is also an abundant number of seedlings under the tree, so I will begin researching root stock to see if they could be used for the purpose of grafting. You know what Native Hunter? This"Habitat Management" is addictive. One thing just leads to another. Now I'm running around taking pictures of Oak leaves and acorns. I appreciate you taking the time to assist... Thank you Sir.... Jb

 

[Native Hunter]

You're welcome JB, and yes it is addictive. I like to thing of it as getting high on life.

I don't know if you tried to eat any of those pears or not, but they might be pretty good. Mine were not bad at all. I actually liked the fact that they hung on the tree and didn't fall, because it kept me from getting down in the weeds to get a pear to eat every time I passed by. There are plenty of others in the planting that do fall, so the deer get fed anyway.

Another good early pear that keeps hanging pretty well is Ayers. Some will fall, but a good number of them will hang right there until you pick them.

Good luck and watch out for those briers!!!