The following subspecies are currently accepted:[2]
Pyrus communis subsp. caucasica(Fed.) Browicz – Turkey, Caucasus
Pyrus communis subsp. communis – Entire range except Caucasus
Originedit
The cultivated Common pear (P. communis subsp. communis) is thought to be descended from two subspecies of wild pears, categorized as P. communis subsp. pyraster (syn.P. pyraster) and P. communis subsp. caucasica (syn. P. caucasica), which are interfertile with domesticated pears. Archeological evidence shows these pears "were collected from the wild long before their introduction into cultivation", according to Zohary and Hopf.[4] Although they point to finds of pears in sites in Neolithic and Bronze Age European sites, "reliable information on pear cultivation first appears in the works of the Greek and the Roman writers."[5]Theophrastus, Cato the Elder, and Pliny the Elder all present information about the cultivation and grafting of pears.[citation needed]
Cultivationedit
Common pear trees are not quite as hardy as apples, but nearly so. However, they do require some winter chilling to produce fruit. A number of Lepidopteracaterpillars feed on pear tree leaves.[citation needed]
For best and most consistent quality, common pears are picked when the fruit matures, but before they are ripe. Fruit allowed to ripen on the tree often drops before it can be picked, and in any event will be hard to pick without bruising. Pears store (and ship) well in their mature but unripe state if kept cold, and can be ripened later, a process called bletting. Some varieties, such as Beurre d'Anjou, ripen only with exposure to cold.[citation needed]
Fermented pear juice is called perry. In Britain, the place name "Perry" can indicate the historical presence of pear trees.[citation needed]
Relatively few cultivars of European or Asian pears are widely grown worldwide. Only about 20–25 European and 10–20 Asian cultivars represent virtually all the pears of commerce[citation needed]. Almost all European cultivars were chance seedlings or selections originating in western Europe, mostly France. The Asian cultivars all originated in Japan and China. 'Bartlett' (Williams) is the most common pear cultivar in the world, representing about 75% of US pear production.[citation needed]
Major cultivarsedit
In the United States, 95% of reported pear production in 2004 came from four cultivars:[6]
50% Williams' Bon Chrétien (England, circa 1770; a summer pear commonly called Bartlett in the US and Canada, and Williams elsewhere)
'Seckel' (USA; late 17th century Philadelphia area; still produced, naturally resistant to fireblight)[14]
'Starkrimson', also called Red Clapp's, is a red-skinned 1939 Michigan bud mutation of Clapp's Favourite. Its thick, smooth skin is a uniform, bright and intense red, and its creamy flesh is sweet and aromatic.[15]
'Summer Beauty'
'Sudduth'
'Taylor's Gold' (New Zealand - a russeted mutant clone of 'Comice')
A 104 year old pear tree fell to the ground in a backyard.
Pears bloom in May in a backyard.
Pears in mid July
Referencesedit
^Barstow, M. (2017). "Pyrus communis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T173010A61580281. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T173010A61580281.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
^"Heritage Rare & Iconic Trees - Visit Kew Gardens". kew.org.
^Zohary, Daniel; Hopf, Maria; Weiss, Ehud (2012). Domestication of Plants in the Old World: The Origin and Spread of Domesticated Plants in Southwest Asia, Europe, and the Mediterranean Basin (Fourth ed.). Oxford: University Press. p. 176.
^Zohary, Daniel; Hopf, Maria; Weiss, Ehud (2012). Domestication of Plants in the Old World: The Origin and Spread of Domesticated Plants in Southwest Asia, Europe, and the Mediterranean Basin (Fourth ed.). Oxford: University Press. p. 177.
^U.S. Department of Agriculture. (September 2004.) "Pyrus Crop Germplasm Committee: Report and genetic vulnerability statement, September 2004" Archived 2008-10-10 at the Wayback Machine. (Website.) Germ Resources Information Network (GRIN), page 5. Retrieved on 2007-10-02.
^"RHS Plant Selector - Pyrus communis 'Beth'". Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
^"Pero - in Italian" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-22.
^"RHS Plant Selector - Pyrus communis 'Comice'". Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
^"RHS Plant Selector - Pyrus communis 'Conference'". Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
^"RHS Plant Selector - Pyrus communis 'Joséphine de Malines'". Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
^"RHS Plant Selector - Pyrus communis 'Louise Bonne of Jersey'". Retrieved 30 May 2013.
^"RHS Plant Selector - Pyrus communis 'Onward'". Retrieved 30 May 2013.
^U.S. Department of Agriculture. (September 2004.) "Pyrus Crop Germplasm Committee: Report and genetic vulnerability statement, September 2004" Archived 2008-10-10 at the Wayback Machine. (Website.) Germ Resources Information Network (GRIN), pages 5-7, 10. Retrieved on 2007-10-02.
^Dris, Ramdane, and S. Mohan Jain (editors.) (2004.) "Production Practices and Quality Assessment of Food Crops: Volume 3, Quality Handling and Evaluation". Springer, page 274, ISBN 978-1-4020-1700-1. Retrieved on 2007-10-10
^"RHS Plant Selector - Pyrus communis 'Williams Bonne Chretienne'". Retrieved 30 May 2013.
External linksedit
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