Herb: Wild Pear


Latin name: Pyrus communis


Family: Rosaceae (Rose Family)



Medicinal use of Wild Pear:

The fruit is astringent, febrifuge and sedative.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Tree

Height:
13 m
(43 feet)

Flowering:
April
to May

Habitat of the herb:

Hedges, woodland margins etc in Britain.

Edible parts of Wild Pear:

Fruit - raw or cooked. The fruit of wild pears often remains very hard unless bletted. It is more suitable for use in pies etc. The fruit is up to 5cm long.

Other uses of the herb:

A yellow-tan dye is obtained from the leaves. Trees are sometimes used as part of a shelterbelt planting. Wood - heavy, tough, durable, fine grained, hard. It weighs 51lb per cubic foot. Used by cabinet and instrument makers. When covered with black varnish it is an excellent ebony substitute.

Propagation of Wild Pear:

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.

Cultivation of the herb:

Hedges, woodland margins etc in Britain.

Known hazards of Pyrus communis:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.