Herb: Pear


Latin name: Pyrus communis sativa


Family: Rosaceae (Rose Family)



Edible parts of Pear:

Fruit - raw or cooked. The flavour ranges from rather harsh and astringent (cultivars used for making alcoholic drinks) through to soft, sweet and very juicy. The best dessert fruits have an exquisite sweet flavour, usually with a very soft flesh, whilst cooking varieties have harder less sweet flesh.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Tree

Height:
5 m
(16 feet)

Flowering:
April
to May

Habitat of the herb:

Not known in the wild.

Other uses of Pear:

A yellow-tan dye is obtained from the leaves. Wood - heavy, tough, durable, fine grained, hard. Used by cabinet and instrument makers. When covered with black varnish it is an excellent ebony substitute.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in the autumn, it will then usually germinate in mid to late winter. Stored seed requires 8 - 10 weeks cold stratification at 1°C and should be sown as early in the year as possible. Temperatures over 15 - 20°C induce a secondary dormancy in the seed. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse for their first year. Plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year. The seed of pear cultivars will not usually breed true to type.

Cultivation of Pear:

Not known in the wild.

Medicinal use of the herb:

None known

Known hazards of Pyrus communis sativa:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.