Herb: Harbin Pear


Latin name: Pyrus ussuriensis


Synonyms: Pyrus sinensis


Family: Rosaceae (Rose Family)



Edible parts of Harbin Pear:

Fruit - raw or cooked. Size and quality varies tremendously from tree to tree. Good forms have somewhat dry but pleasantly flavoured fruits up to 4cm in diameter, other forms are less pleasant and often smaller.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Tree

Height:
15 m
(49 feet)

Flowering:
April

Habitat of the herb:

Forests and river valleys in lower mountain zones.

Other uses of Harbin Pear:

Used as a rootstock for P. pyrifolia culta in Korea, it is very frost resistant.

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.

Cultivation of Harbin Pear:

Forests and river valleys in lower mountain zones.

Medicinal use of the herb:

None known

Known hazards of Pyrus ussuriensis:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.