Herb: Le Conte Pear


Latin name: Pyrus x lecontei


Family: Rosaceae (Rose Family)



Edible parts of Le Conte Pear:

Fruit - raw or cooked. The flesh is crisp-fleshed like that of the Asian pears and is ready to eat when picked. It requires no further ripening and can store for several days to several months. Occasionally eaten fresh, it is more commonly cooked in pies, preserves etc. A sour taste. The fruit is up to 8cm long and 5cm wide.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Tree

Height:
8 m
(26 feet)

Habitat of the herb:

Not known in the wild.

Propagation of Le Conte 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. This species is a hybrid and is unlikely to breed true to type from seed.

Cultivation of the herb:

Not known in the wild.

Medicinal use of Le Conte Pear:

None known

Known hazards of Pyrus x lecontei:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.