Herb latin name: Pyrus pyraster


Family: Rosaceae (Rose Family)



Edible parts of Pyrus pyraster:

Fruit - raw or cooked. The fruit is often borne in abundance and is up to 35mm in diameter. It ripens in late summer to early autumn. It is rather hard and astringent at first, but bletts as soon as it falls from the tree and then has quite a good flavour, becoming soft and quite juicy.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Tree

Height:
7 m
(23 feet)

Habitat of the herb:

Thickets and open woods.

Propagation of Pyrus pyraster:

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:

Thickets and open woods.

Medicinal use of Pyrus pyraster:

None known

Known hazards of Pyrus pyraster:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.