View source for Pear

{{Short description|Edible fruits from the genus Pyrus}}
{{Redirect2|Pear tree|Pyrus||Pear (disambiguation)|and|Pyrus (disambiguation)}}
{{Pp-pc|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2015}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2024}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Pear
| image = Pears.jpg
| image_caption = [[Pyrus communis|European pear]] branch with two pears
| image2 = Pear DS.jpg
| image2_caption = Pear fruit cross section
| display_parents = 3
| taxon = Pyrus
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = About 30 species; see [[#Species and selected hybrids|text]]
}}

'''Pears''' are a genus of trees, '''''Pyrus''''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|aɪ|r|ə|s}}, in the [[Family (taxonomy)|family]] [[Rosaceae]], that bear an edible [[Pome|apple-like]] fruit of the same name. Several species of pears are cultivated for their fruit and juices, while others are grown as ornamental flowering trees.

Pear trees are mostly medium to small-sized, though some grow as shrubs. They grow in temperate regions, being native to Asia and distributed across Europe and the mountains of North Africa. The wood of pear trees is a preferred material in the manufacture of high-quality [[woodwind instrument]]s and [[furniture]].

About 3,000 varieties of pears are grown worldwide, varying in both shape and taste. In 2024, world production of the fruit was about 28 million [[tonne]]s, led by China with 76% of the total. The fruit is consumed fresh, [[canning|canned]], as [[juice]], [[Dried fruit|dried]], or [[ferment]]ed as [[perry]].

== Etymology ==

The word ''pear'' comes from Old English ''pere'' or ''peru'', from [[Vulgar Latin]] ''pera'', from Latin ''pirum'', probably akin to Greek άπιον ''apion'' with the same meaning. The source is most likely an ancient Mediterranean language, perhaps Semitic.<ref>{{OEtymD|pear}}</ref> The classical Latin word for a pear tree is ''[[:wikt:pirus#Latin|pirus]]'';<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last1=Lewis |first1=Charlton T. |last2=Short |first2=Charles |dictionary=[[A Latin Dictionary]] |title=pĭrus |date=1879 |publisher=[[Clarendon Press]] |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059%3Aentry%3Dpirus |via=the [[Perseus Project]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220515000656/https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059%3Aentry%3Dpirus |archive-date=2022-05-15 }}</ref> ''pyrus'' is an alternate form of this word sometimes used in [[medieval Latin]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |dictionary=Glossarium Mediae et Infimae Latinitatis |last=Du Fresne |first=Charles |author-link=Charles du Fresne, sieur du Cange |title=Pyrus |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220515000627/https://logeion.uchicago.edu/pyrus |archive-date=2022-05-15 |url=https://logeion.uchicago.edu/pyrus |via=[[Logeion]]}}</ref>

== Description ==

Pears are mostly small or medium-sized trees; a few of the species are [[shrub]]by, and some are thorny.<ref name="IDS">{{cite web |title=Pyrus L. |url=https://www.treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/pyrus/ |publisher=International Dendrology Society: Trees and Shrubs Online |access-date=19 March 2026}}</ref> The [[leaf|leaves]] are alternately arranged, [[Leaf#Divisions_of_the_lamina_(blade)|simple]], {{convert|2|–|12|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} long, glossy green on some species, densely silvery-hairy in some others; leaf shape varies from broad oval to narrow lanceolate.<ref name="Quinet 2019">{{cite book |last1=Quinet |first1=Muriel |last2=Wesel |first2=Jean-Pierre |chapter=Botany and Taxonomy of Pear |date=2019 |title=The Pear Genome |series=Wild Crop Relatives: Genomic and Breeding Resources |pages=1–33 |editor-last=Korban |editor-first=Schuyler S. |publisher=[[Springer International Publishing]] |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-11048-2_1 |isbn=978-3-030-11048-2 }}</ref> Most pears are [[deciduous]], but one or two species in Southeast Asia are [[evergreen]].<ref name="Quinet 2019"/><ref name="Rubtsov 1944">{{cite journal |last=Rubtsov |first=G. A. |date=July 1944 |title=Geographical Distribution of the Genus Pyrus and Trends and Factors in Its Evolution |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/281206 |journal=[[The American Naturalist]] |volume=78 |issue=777 |pages=358–366 |doi=10.1086/281206 |bibcode=1944ANat...78..358R |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Some pears are cold-hardy, withstanding temperatures as low as {{convert|−25|to|-40|C|F}} in winter, but many grown for agriculture are vulnerable to cold damage.<ref name="Bell 2011"/><ref name="Hedrick 1921">{{Cite book |last1=Hedrick |first1=U.P. |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/46994/46994-h/46994-h.htm |title=The Pears of New York |last2=Howe |first2=G.H. |last3=Taylor |first3=O.M. |last4=Frances |first4=E.H. |last5=Tukey |first5=H.B. |publisher=J. B. Lyon Co |year=1921 |location=Albany}}</ref> Evergreen species only tolerate temperatures down to about {{convert|-12|C|F}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Evergreen Pear - SelecTree: A Tree Selection Guide |url=https://selectree.calpoly.edu/tree-detail/1222 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240418015036/https://selectree.calpoly.edu/tree-detail/1222 |archive-date=2024-04-18 |access-date=2024-06-07 |website=selectree.calpoly.edu}}</ref>

The [[flower]]s are white, rarely tinted yellow or pink, {{convert|2|–|4|cm|in|frac=2}} diameter, and have five [[petal]]s, five [[sepals]], and numerous [[stamen]]s.<ref name="Quinet 2019"/><ref name="pearfruit">[https://web.archive.org/web/20100916180243/http://bouquetoffruits.com/fruit-facts/pear-facts.html Pear Fruit Facts Page Information]. bouquetoffruits.com</ref> Like that of the related [[apple]], the pear fruit is a [[pome]], in most wild species {{convert|1|–|4|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} diameter, but in some cultivated forms up to {{convert|18|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|9|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} broad.<ref name="Quinet 2019"/> The shape varies in most species from oblate or globose, to the classic pyriform 'pear shape' of the [[European pear]] with an elongated basal portion and a bulbous end.<ref name="Hedrick 1921"/>

The fruit is a [[Accessory fruit|pseudofruit]] composed of the greatly swollen receptacle or upper end of the flower stalk (the so-called [[calyx (botany)|calyx]] tube).<ref name="Quinet 2019"/> Enclosed within its cellular flesh is the true fruit: 2–5 '[[Cartilage#Plants and fungi|cartilaginous]]' [[carpels]],<ref name="Bell 2011"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Pyrus in Flora of North America @ efloras.org |url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=127801 |access-date=2024-06-07 |website=www.efloras.org}}</ref> known colloquially as the "core".<ref name="Quinet 2019"/> Pears and apples cannot always be distinguished by the form of the fruit;<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/newwernertwenti01unkngoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/newwernertwenti01unkngoog/page/n475 456] |title=The New Werner Twentieth Century Edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica: A Standard Work of Reference in Art, Literature, Science, History, Geography, Commerce, Biography, Discovery and Invention |date=1907 |publisher=Werner Company}}</ref> some cultivated pears look very much like some apples, e.g. the [[Pyrus pyrifolia|nashi pear]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nelson |first=John |title=Spring blooming Asian pear looks much like an apple {{!}} Mystery Plant |url=https://www.tallahassee.com/story/life/home-garden/2022/02/10/fruit-asian-pear-more-delicate-than-apples/6734615001/ |access-date=2024-06-07 |website=Tallahassee Democrat }}</ref>

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=160 heights=160>
File:Pear tree in Hamedan Iran.jpg|Tree
File:Pear's morphology.svg|Pear morphology
File:PearBlossomsCalifornia.jpg|Pear blossoms
File:زنبور و شکوفه گلابی.jpg|A bee pollinating a pear blossom
</gallery>

== History ==

=== Origins and distribution ===

The [[genus]] is thought to have originated in Central Asia. More specifically, it is thought to have originated in the foothills of the [[Tian Shan]], a mountain range in present-day [[Western China]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Silva |first1=G. J. |last2=Souza |first2=Tatiane Medeiros |last3=Barbieri |first3=Rosa Lía |last4=Costa de Oliveira |first4=Antonio |date=2014 |title=Origin, Domestication, and Dispersing of Pear ( Pyrus spp.) |journal=Advances in Agriculture |volume=2014 |issue=1 |pages=1–8 |doi=10.1155/2014/541097 |url=http://ainfo.cnptia.embrapa.br/digital/bitstream/item/103454/1/Rosa-Lia.pdf |doi-access=free |bibcode=2014AdvAg201441097S }}</ref> and to have spread to the north and south along mountain chains, evolving into a diverse group of over 20 widely recognized primary species.<ref name="Rubtsov 1944" />

The word ''pear'', or its equivalent, occurs in all the [[Celtic languages]], while in Slavic and other dialects, differing appellations still referring to the same thing are found—a diversity and multiplicity of [[nomenclature]], which led [[Alphonse Pyramus de Candolle]] to infer a very ancient cultivation of the tree from the shores of the Caspian to those of the Atlantic.<ref name="de Candolle 1908">{{cite book |last=de Candolle |first=Alphonse |title=The Origin of Cultivated Plants: The International Scientific Series Volume XLVIII |date=1908 |publisher=[[D. Appleton and Company]] |location=New York}}</ref>

Pears are distributed across Europe, in the mountains of North Africa, and temperate regions of Asia.<ref name="Bell 2011">{{cite book |last1=Bell |first1=Richard L. |last2=Itai |first2=Akihiro |title=Pyrus |date=2011 |chapter=Wild Crop Relatives: Genomic and Breeding Resources |pages=147–177 |editor-last=Kole |editor-first=Chittaranjan |url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-16057-8_8 |place=Berlin, Heidelberg |publisher=Springer |doi=10.1007/978-3-642-16057-8_8 |isbn=978-3-642-16057-8 |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Fruit breeding |date=1996 |publisher=[[Wiley (publisher)|Wiley]] |isbn=978-3-642-16057-8 |editor-last=Janick |editor-first=Jules |location=New York |editor-last2=Moore |editor-first2=James N.}}</ref>

=== Cultivation ===

Pear cultivation in [[temperate climate]]s extends to the remotest antiquity, with evidence of its use as a food since prehistoric times. Many traces have been found in [[prehistoric pile dwellings around Lake Zurich]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Antolín |first1=Ferran |last2=Bleicher |first2=Niels |last3=Brombacher |first3=Christoph |last4=Kühn |first4=Marlu |last5=Steiner |first5=Bigna L. |last6=Jacomet |first6=Stefanie |date=2016-06-06 |title=Quantitative approximation to large-seeded wild fruit use in a late Neolithic lake dwelling: New results from the case study of layer 13 of Parkhaus Opéra in Zürich (Central Switzerland) |journal=[[Quaternary International]] |series=Archaeobotany of wild plant use: Approaches to the exploitation of wild plant resources in the past and its social implications |volume=404 |pages=56–68 |doi=10.1016/j.quaint.2015.08.003 |bibcode=2016QuInt.404...56A |doi-access=free }}</ref> Pears were cultivated in China as early as 2000 BC.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Prance |editor1-first=Ghillean |editor2-last=Nesbitt |editor2-first=Mark |last1=Clement |first1=Charles R. |date=2005 |title=The Cultural History of Plants |publisher=Routledge |page=86 |isbn=0-415-92746-3}}</ref> An article on pear tree cultivation in [[Spain]] is included in [[Ibn al-'Awwam]]'s 12th-century agricultural work, ''Book on Agriculture''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ibn al-'Awwam |first=Yaḥyá |author-link=Ibn al-'Awwam |title=Le livre de l'agriculture d'Ibn-al-Awam (kitab-al-felahah) |year=1864 |location=Paris |publisher=A. Franck |translator=J.-J. Clement-Mullet |pages=240–242 (ch. 7 - Article 12) |url=https://archive.org/details/lelivredelagric00algoog/page/n14/mode/2up |language=fr |oclc=780050566}} (pp. [https://archive.org/details/lelivredelagric00algoog/page/n348/mode/2up 240]–242 (Article XII)</ref>

The enormous number of varieties of the cultivated European pear (''[[Pyrus communis]]'' subsp. ''communis''), are likely derived from one or two wild [[subspecies]] (''P. c.'' subsp. ''pyraster'' and ''P. c.'' subsp. ''caucasica''), widely distributed throughout Europe, and sometimes forming part of the natural vegetation of the forests.<ref name="Bell 2011" /><ref name="Quinet 2019" /> Court accounts of [[Henry III of England]] record pears shipped from La Rochelle-Normande and presented to the king by the sheriffs of the City of London.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Amherst |first=Alicia |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofgardeni00cecirich |title=A History of Gardening in England by the Hon. Alicia (M.T.) Amherst ... |date=1895 |publisher=B. Quaritch}}</ref> The French names of pears grown in English medieval gardens suggest that their reputation, at the least, was French; a favoured variety in the accounts was named for Saint [[Rieul of Senlis]], Bishop of [[Senlis]] in northern France.<ref name="Cecil">{{cite book |last=Cecil |first=Evelyn |title=A History of Gardening in England |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fk4KTrvZ8nMC |year=2006 |publisher=[[Kessinger Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-4286-3680-4 |pages=35 ff}}</ref>

Asian species with medium to large edible fruit include ''P. pyrifolia'', ''P. ussuriensis'', ''P. × bretschneideri'', and ''P. × sinkiangensis''.<ref name="Quinet 2019" /> Small-fruited species, such as ''[[Pyrus calleryana]],'' may be used as [[rootstock]]s for the cultivated forms.<ref name="Bell 2011" /><ref name="WSU Rootstocks">{{cite web |title=Rootstocks for Pear |publisher=[[Washington State University]] |url=https://treefruit.wsu.edu/web-article/pear-rootstocks/ |access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref>

The pear was cultivated by the Romans, who ate the fruits raw or cooked, just like apples.<ref name="Toussaint-Samat2009">{{cite book|author=Toussaint-Samat, Maguelonne |title=A History of Food|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QmevzbQ0AsIC&pg=PA573|year= 2009|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-4443-0514-2|page=573}}</ref> They introduced the fruit to Britain.<ref>{{cite book |last=Lyle |first=Katie Letcher |title=The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants, Mushrooms, Fruits, and Nuts: How to Find, Identify, and Cook Them |publisher=[[FalconGuides]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-59921-887-8 |edition=2nd |location=Guilford, Connecticut |page=105 |oclc=560560606 |orig-date=2004}}</ref> [[Natural History (Pliny)|Pliny's ''Natural History'']] recommended stewing the fruit with [[honey]] and noted three dozen varieties. The Roman cookbook ''[[De re coquinaria]]'' has a recipe for a spiced, stewed-pear ''patina'', or [[soufflé]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Grainger |first1=Sally  |last2=Grocock |first2=Christopher |title=Apicius |year=2006 |publisher=[[Prospect Books]] |location=Blackawton, Totnes |isbn=978-1-903018-13-2 |page=IV.2.35}}</ref> 

''[[Pyrus nivalis]]'', which has white down on the [[Epidermis (botany)|undersurface]] of the leaves, is chiefly used in Europe in the manufacture of [[perry]], a drink similar to [[cider]].<ref name="de Candolle 1908"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Kole |first1=Chittaranjan |title=Wild Crop Relatives: Genomic and Breeding Resources Temperate Fruits |date=2011 |publisher=Springer Berlin Heidelberg Springer e-books |isbn=978-3-642-16057-8 |series=Biomedical and Life Sciences (Springer-11642) |location=Berlin, Heidelberg}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Itai |first=A. |title=Pear |date=2007 |chapter=Fruits and Nuts |series=Genome Mapping and Molecular Breeding in Plants |volume=4 |pages=157–170 |editor-last=Kole |editor-first=Chittaranjan |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-540-34533-6_6 |place=Berlin, Heidelberg |publisher=Springer |doi=10.1007/978-3-540-34533-6_6 |isbn=978-3-540-34533-6|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Other small-fruited pears, distinguished by their early ripening and globose fruit, may be referred to as ''P. cordata'', a species found wild in southwestern Europe.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Aldasoro |first1=J. J. |last2=Aedo |first2=C. |last3=Garmendia |first3=F. MuñOz |date=2008-06-28 |title=The genus Pyrus L. (Rosaceae) in south-west Europe and North Africa |url=https://academic.oup.com/botlinnean/article-lookup/doi/10.1111/j.1095-8339.1996.tb00749.x |journal=[[Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society]] |volume=121 |issue=2 |pages=143–158 |doi=10.1111/j.1095-8339.1996.tb00749.x |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Aydin |first1=ZÜBEYDE |last2=DÖNMEZ |first2=ALİ |date=2015-01-01 |title=Taxonomic and nomenclatural contributions to Pyrus L. (Rosaceae) from Turkey |url=https://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/botany/vol39/iss5/10 |journal=Turkish Journal of Botany |volume=39 |issue=5 |pages=841–849 |doi=10.3906/bot-1411-1434 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2015TJBot..39..841U |url-access=subscription |hdl=11655/19387 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Pyrus cordata {{!}} Plymouth pear Trees |publisher=[[Royal Horticultural Society]] |url=http://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/80716/pyrus-cordata/details |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240608171406/https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/80716/pyrus-cordata/details |archive-date=2024-06-08 |access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref>

== Taxonomy and distribution ==

The genus ''Pyrus'' was described by [[Carl Linnaeus]] in his ''Species Plantarum'' in 1753.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pyrus communis Linnaeus, 1753 |url=https://www.gbif.org/species/164014089 |publisher=GBIF |access-date=7 March 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Linnaeus |first=Carl |author-link=Carl Linnaeus |title=[[Species Plantarum]] |volume=1 |page=479 |year=1753}}</ref> The genus can be divided into two [[Subgenus|subgenera]]—''Pyrus'' and ''Pashia''. Subgenus ''Pyrus,'' the Occidental [[clade]], is distributed mainly in the western portion of Eurasia and North Africa, while subgenus ''Pashia'', the Oriental clade, is native to [[East Asia]]. The two subgenera come in contact in [[Xinjiang]], China, and in fact ''[[Pyrus × sinkiangensis|P. sinkiangensis]]'' appears to have arisen from a hybridisation event between ''[[Pyrus communis|P. communis]]'' and either ''[[Pyrus pyrifolia|P. pyrifolia]]'' or ''[[Pyrus × bretschneideri|P. bretschneideri]],'' i.e. a hybridisation between a member of the Occidental clade and a member of the Oriental clade.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Jin |first1=Ze-Tao |last2=Ma |first2=Dai-Kun |last3=Liu |first3=Guang-Ning |last4=Hodel |first4=Richard G.J. |last5=Jiang |first5=Yan |last6=Ge |first6=Bin-Jie |last7=Liao |first7=Shuai |last8=Duan |first8=Lei |last9=Ren |first9=Chen |last10=Xu |first10=Chao |last11=Wu |first11=Jun |last12=Liu |first12=Bin-Bin |display-authors=5 |date=2024 |title=Advancing Pyrus phylogeny: Deep genome skimming-based inference coupled with paralogy analysis yields a robust phylogenetic backbone and an updated infrageneric classification of the pear genus (Maleae, Rosaceae) |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/tax.13163 |journal=[[Taxon (journal)|Taxon]] |volume=73 |issue=3 |pages=784–799 |doi=10.1002/tax.13163 |bibcode=2024Taxon..73..784J |issn=1996-8175|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Pears are cultivated across their native range, and are introduced for cultivation in North America, the British Isles, Scandinavia, Southern Africa, and Australia.<ref name="POWO"/><!--see its 'Distribution' tab--> As of December 2024, [[Plants of the World Online]] accepts the following 74 species.<ref name="POWO">{{cite web |title=Pyrus L. |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30000967-2#children |access-date=2024-12-27 |website=[[Plants of the World Online]]}}</ref>

[[File:Assortment of pears.jpg|thumb|(Left to right, top to bottom) Korean, Bosc, Forelle, red D'Anjou, Bartlett, green D'Anjou, Seckel, Comice]]

[[File:Pyrus pyrifolia.jpg|thumb|Varieties such as the [[Nashi pear]] are not "pear-shaped".]]

=== Species and selected hybrids ===

{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
;Subgenus ''Pyrus''
* ''[[Pyrus acutiserrata]]''
* ''[[Pyrus armeniacifolia]]''—apricot-leaved pear
* ''[[Pyrus asiae-mediae]]''
* ''[[Pyrus austriaca]]''
* ''[[Pyrus × babadagensis]]''
* ''[[Pyrus × bardoensis]]''
* ''[[Pyrus boissieriana]]''
* ''[[Pyrus bourgaeana]]''—Iberian pear
* ''[[Pyrus browiczii]]''
* ''[[Pyrus cajon]]''
* ''[[Pyrus castribonensis]]''
* ''[[Pyrus chosrovica]]''
* ''[[Pyrus ciancioi]]''—Ciancio's pear
* ''[[Pyrus communis]]''—European pear
** ''[[Pyrus communis]]'' subsp. ''communis''—European pear (cultivars include [[d'Anjou|Beurre d'Anjou]], [[Williams pear|Bartlett]] and [[Bosc Pear|Beurre Bosc]])
** ''Pyrus communis'' subsp. ''caucasica'' ([[syn.]] ''Pyrus caucasica'')
** ''Pyrus communis'' subsp. ''pyraster'' (syn. ''[[Pyrus pyraster]]'')
* ''[[Pyrus complexa]]''
* ''[[Pyrus cordata]]''—Plymouth pear
* ''[[Pyrus cordifolia]]''
* ''[[Pyrus costata]]''
* ''[[Pyrus daralagezi]]''
* ''[[Pyrus demetrii]]''
* ''[[Pyrus elaeagrifolia]]''—oleaster-leaved pear
* ''[[Pyrus elata]]''
* ''[[Pyrus eldarica]]''
* ''[[Pyrus fedorovii]]''
* ''[[Pyrus ferganensis]]''
* ''[[Pyrus georgica]]''
* ''[[Pyrus gergerana]]''—Gergeranian pear
* ''[[Pyrus glabra]]''
* ''[[Pyrus grossheimii]]''
* ''[[Pyrus hajastani]]''
* ''[[Pyrus hakkiarica]]''
* ''[[Pyrus hyrcana]]''
* ''[[Pyrus jacquemontiana]]''
* ''[[Pyrus × jordanovii]]''
* ''[[Pyrus ketzkhovelii]]''
* ''[[Pyrus mazanderanica]]''
* ''[[Pyrus medvedevii]]''
* ''[[Pyrus megrica]]''
* ''[[Pyrus × michauxii]]''
* ''[[Pyrus neoserrulata]]''
* ''[[Pyrus nivalis]]''—snow pear
* ''[[Pyrus nutans]]''
* ''[[Pyrus oxyprion]]''
* ''[[Pyrus pedrottiana]]''
* ''[[Pyrus raddeana]]''
* ''[[Pyrus regelii]]''
* ''[[Pyrus sachokiana]]''
* ''[[Pyrus salicifolia]]''—willow-leaved pear
* ''[[Pyrus sicanorum]]''
* ''[[Pyrus × sinkiangensis]]''—thought to be an interspecific hybrid between ''P. ''×''bretschneideri'' and ''Pyrus communis''
* ''[[Pyrus sogdiana]]''
* ''[[Pyrus sosnovskyi]]''
* ''[[Pyrus spinosa]]''—Almond-leaved pear
* ''[[Pyrus syriaca]]''—Syrian pear
* ''[[Pyrus tadshikistanica]]''
* ''[[Pyrus takhtadzhianii]]''
* ''[[Pyrus tamamschiannae]]''
* ''[[Pyrus terpoi]]''
* ''[[Pyrus theodorovii]]''
* ''[[Pyrus turcomanica]]''
* ''[[Pyrus tuskaulensis]]''
* ''[[Pyrus vallis-demonis]]''
* ''[[Pyrus × vavilovii]]''
* ''[[Pyrus voronovii]]''
* ''[[Pyrus vsevolodovii]]''
* ''[[Pyrus yaltirikii]]''
* ''[[Pyrus zangezura]]''
;Subgenus ''Pashia''
* ''[[Pyrus betulifolia]]''—birchleaf pear
* ''[[Pyrus × bretschneideri]]''—Chinese white pear; also classified as a subspecies of ''Pyrus pyrifolia''
* ''[[Pyrus calleryana]]''—Callery pear
* ''[[Pyrus hopeiensis]]''
* ''[[Pyrus korshinskyi]]''
* ''[[Pyrus pashia]]''—Afghan pear
* ''[[Pyrus × phaeocarpa]]''
* ''[[Pyrus pseudopashia]]''
* ''[[Pyrus pyrifolia]]''—Nashi pear, ''Sha Li''; tree species native to China, Japan, and Korea, also known as the Asian pear
* ''[[Pyrus trilocularis]]''
* ''[[Pyrus ussuriensis]]''—Siberian pear (also known as the Ussurian pear, Harbin pear, or Manchurian pear)
* ''[[Pyrus xerophila]]''
;Not classified
* ''[[Pyrus alpinotaiwaniana]]''{{div col end}}

Together with the genus ''[[Crataegus]]'', ''Pyrus'' forms the [[graft-chimaera]] [[+ Pyrocrataegus|+ ''Pyrocrataegus'']].<ref>+ ''Pyrocrataegus'' Rehder. (n.d.). [[Plants of the World Online]]. Retrieved January 14, 2026, from https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77220983-1</ref>

== Cultivation ==

[[File:Bradford 9288.JPG|thumb|Orchard of ''[[Pyrus calleryana]]'' in flower]]

According to Pear Bureau Northwest, about 3,000 known varieties of pears are grown worldwide.<ref name="USA pears">{{cite web |url=http://usapears.com/Recipes%20And%20Lifestyle/Now%20Serving/Pears%20and%20Varieties.aspx |title=Pear Varieties |publisher=USApears.com |access-date=9 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625092733/http://usapears.com/Recipes%20And%20Lifestyle/Now%20Serving/Pears%20and%20Varieties.aspx |archive-date=25 June 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Morgan |first=Joan |year=2015 |title=The Book of Pears: The Definitive History and Guide to Over 500 Varieties |publisher=[[Chelsea Green Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-60358-666-5}}</ref> The pear is normally propagated by [[grafting]] a selected variety onto a [[rootstock]], which may be of a pear or [[quince]] variety. Quince rootstocks produce smaller trees, which is often desirable in commercial orchards or domestic gardens. For new varieties the flowers can be [[Cross-breeding|cross-bred]] to preserve or combine desirable traits. The fruit of the pear is produced on spurs, which appear on shoots more than one year old.<ref>RHS Fruit, Harry Baker, {{ISBN|1-85732-905-8}}, pp100-101.</ref>

There are four species which are primarily grown for edible fruit production: the [[European pear]] ''Pyrus communis'' subsp. ''communis'' cultivated mainly in Europe and North America, the Chinese white pear (''bai li'') ''[[Pyrus × bretschneideri]]'', the Chinese pear ''[[Pyrus ussuriensis]]'', and the [[Nashi pear]] ''Pyrus pyrifolia'' (also known as Asian pear or apple pear), which are grown mainly in eastern Asia.<ref name="Bell 2011"/> There are thousands of [[cultivar]]s of these three species.<ref name="USA pears"/> A species grown in western China, ''P. sinkiangensis'', and ''P. pashia'', grown in southern China and south Asia, are also produced to a lesser degree.<ref name="Bell 2011"/><ref name="Quinet 2019"/>

Other species are used as [[rootstock]]s for European and Asian pears and as [[ornamental plant|ornamental trees]].<ref name="Bell 2011"/><ref name="WSU Rootstocks"/> Pear wood is close-grained and has been used as a specialized timber for fine furniture and making the blocks for [[woodcut]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pear {{!}} The Wood Database (Hardwood) |url=https://www.wood-database.com/pear/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324045244/https://www.wood-database.com/pear/ |archive-date=2024-03-24 |access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-08 |title=Woodcut |url=https://www3.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/collection-areas/drawings-and-prints/materials-and-techniques/printmaking/woodcut |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240515034144/https://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/collection-areas/drawings-and-prints/materials-and-techniques/printmaking/woodcut |archive-date=2024-05-15 |access-date=2024-06-08 |website=The [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] }}</ref> The Manchurian or Ussurian Pear, ''[[Pyrus ussuriensis]]'' (which produces [[unpalatable]] fruit primarily used for canning) has been crossed with ''Pyrus communis'' to breed hardier pear cultivars.<ref name="Bell 2019 Genome">{{cite book |last=Bell |first=Richard L. |chapter=Genetics, Genomics, and Breeding for Fire Blight Resistance in Pear |date=2019 |title=The Pear Genome |series=Compendium of Plant Genomes |pages=243–264 |editor-last=Korban |editor-first=Schuyler S. |url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-11048-2_13 |place=Cham |publisher=[[Springer International Publishing]] |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-11048-2_13 |isbn=978-3-030-11048-2|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The Bradford pear (''[[Pyrus calleryana]]'' 'Bradford') is widespread as an ornamental tree in North America, where it has become [[Invasive species|invasive]] in regions.<ref name="Culley 2007">{{cite journal |last1=Culley |first1=Theresa M. |last2=Hardiman |first2=Nicole A. |date=2007-12-01 |title=The Beginning of a New Invasive Plant: A History of the Ornamental Callery Pear in the United States |journal=BioScience |volume=57 |issue=11 |pages=956–964 |doi=10.1641/b571108 |bibcode=2007BiSci..57..956C |issn=1525-3244}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Vincent |first=Michael A. |date=2005-03-01 |title=On the Spread and Current Distribution of Pyrus calleryana in the United States |url=https://bioone.org/journals/castanea/volume-70/issue-1/0008-7475_2005_070_0020_OTSACD_2.0.CO_2/On-the-Spread-and-Current-Distribution-of-Pyrus-calleryana-in/10.2179/0008-7475(2005)070[0020:OTSACD]2.0.CO;2.full |journal=Castanea |volume=70 |issue=1 |pages=20–31 |doi=10.2179/0008-7475(2005)070[0020:OTSACD]2.0.CO;2 |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Owen |first=Luke |date=2024-03-27 |title=Bradford Pear: An Invasive Pest |url=https://buncombe.ces.ncsu.edu/2024/03/bradford-pear-an-invasive-pest/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529184753/https://buncombe.ces.ncsu.edu/2024/03/bradford-pear-an-invasive-pest/ |archive-date=2024-05-29 |access-date=2024-06-08 |website=buncombe.ces.ncsu.edu}}</ref> It is also used as a blight-resistant rootstock for ''Pyrus communis'' fruit orchards.<ref name="Bell 2019 Genome"/><ref name="Culley 2007"/> The Willow-leaved pear (''[[Pyrus salicifolia]]'') is grown for its silvery leaves, flowers, and its "weeping" form.<ref name="Bell 2011"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Pyrus salicifolia 'Pendula' - Plant Finder |url=https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=263988&isprofile=0&bt=4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240608183401/https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=263988&isprofile=0&bt=4 |archive-date=2024-06-08 |access-date=2024-06-08 |website=www.missouribotanicalgarden.org}}</ref> 

Summer and autumn [[cultivar]]s of ''Pyrus communis'', being [[climacteric fruits]], are harvested before they are fully ripe, while they are still green, but snap off when lifted.<ref name="Quinet 2019" /><ref>{{cite journal |last=Marini |first=Richard P. |date=2009 |title=Growing Pears in Virginia |url=https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/3ea7030c-0c21-49ed-80aa-9fa4bbbc3c7f/content |journal=Virginia Cooperative Extension |volume=Publication 422-017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240608184455/https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/3ea7030c-0c21-49ed-80aa-9fa4bbbc3c7f/content |archive-date=2024-06-08}}</ref> Certain other pears, including ''Pyrus pyrifolia'' and ''P. × bretschneideri'', have both climacteric and non-climacteric varieties.<ref name="Bell 2011" /><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Itai |first1=Akihiro |last2=Fujita |first2=Naoko |date=February 2008 |title=Identification of Climacteric and Nonclimacteric Phenotypes of Asian Pear Cultivars by CAPS Analysis of 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-Carboxylate Synthase Genes |url=https://journals.ashs.org/view/journals/hortsci/43/1/article-p119.xml |journal=[[HortScience]] |volume=43 |issue=1 |pages=119–121 |doi=10.21273/HORTSCI.43.1.119 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=The pear genome |date=2019 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-030-11047-5 |editor-last=Korban |editor-first=Schuyler S. |series=Compendium of plant genomes |location=Cham}}</ref>

=== Cultivars ===

{{Main|List of pear cultivars}}

The following [[cultivars]] have gained the [[Royal Horticultural Society]]'s [[Award of Garden Merit]]:<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-fruit-and-vegetables.pdf | title = AGM Plants}}</ref>

{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
* 'Beth'<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/46952/Pyrus-communis-Beth(D)/Details|title=RHS Plant Selector Pyrus communis 'Beth' (D) AGM / RHS Gardening |publisher=Apps.rhs.org.uk | access-date = 17 February 2021}}</ref>
* 'Beurré Hardy'<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/51198/i-Pyrus-communis-i-Beurre-Hardy-(D)/Details
| title = RHS Plantfinder - ''Pyrus communis'' 'Beurré Hardy' | access-date = 23 September 2018}}</ref>
* 'Beurré Superfin'<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/75640/i-Pyrus-communis-i-Beurre-Superfin-(D)/Details
| title = RHS Plantfinder - ''Pyrus communis'' 'Beurré Superfin' | access-date = 23 September 2018}}</ref>
* 'Concorde'<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/61972/Pyrus-communis-Concorde-(D)/Details |title=RHS Plant Selector Pyrus communis 'Concorde' PBR (D) AGM / RHS Gardening |publisher=Apps.rhs.org.uk | access-date = 17 February 2021}}</ref>
* '[[Conference pear|Conference]]'<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/74814/Pyrus-communis-Conference-(D)/Details |title=RHS Plant Selector Pyrus communis 'Conference' (D) AGM / RHS Gardening |publisher=Apps.rhs.org.uk | access-date = 17 February 2021}}</ref>
* '[[Doyenné du Comice]]'<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/76945/Pyrus-communis-Doyenne-du-Comice-(D)/Details | title = RHS Plantfinder - ''Pyrus communis'' 'Doyenné du Comice' | access-date = 23 September 2018}}</ref>
* 'Joséphine de Malines'<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/71466/Pyrus-communis-Josephine-de-Malines-(D)/Details |title=RHS Plant Selector Pyrus communis 'Joséphine de Malines' (D) AGM / RHS Gardening |publisher=Apps.rhs.org.uk | access-date = 17 February 2021}}</ref>
{{div col end}}

The purely decorative cultivar ''P. salicifolia'' 'Pendula', with pendulous branches and silvery leaves, has also won the award.<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/91185/i-Pyrus-salicifolia-i-Pendula/Details |title = RHS Plantfinder - ''Pyrus salicifolia'' 'Pendula' |access-date = 23 September 2018}}</ref>

=== Diseases and pests ===

{{Main|List of pear diseases|Lepidoptera}}

{| class="wikitable floatright" style="width:12em; text-align:center;"
|+ Pear production <br />{{small|2024, millions of tonnes}}<br/>
|-
|{{CHN}}||21.0
|-
|{{ARG}}||0.67
|-
|{{TUR}}||0.63
|-
|{{RSA}}||0.47
|-
|{{USA}}||0.46
|-
|{{ITA}}||0.44
|- style="background:#ccc;"
|'''World'''||'''27.6'''
|-
| colspan=2|{{small|Source: [[FAOSTAT]]}}<ref name="faostat">{{cite web|url=https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL |publisher=UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Statistics Division |title=Production of pears in 2024, Crops/Regions/World Regions/Production Quantity/Year by picklists|date=2026 |access-date=6 March 2026}}</ref>
|}

== Production ==

{{main|List of countries by pear production}}

In 2024, world production of pears was 27.6 million [[tonne]]s, led by [[China]] with 76% of the total (table).<ref name="faostat" /> About 48% of the [[Southern Hemisphere]]'s pears are produced in the [[Patagonia]]n valley of [[Río Negro (Argentina)|Río Negro]] in Argentina.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://registrocivil.rionegro.gov.ar/articulo/31322/las-peras-de-rio-negro-convierten-al-pais-en-el-segundo-exportador-a-nivel-mundial |title=Las peras de Río Negro convierten al país en el segundo exportador a nivel mundial |trans-title=Pears from Río Negro make the country the second largest exporter worldwide |date=2020-01-31 |access-date=2022-11-29 |website=Registro Civil |language=Spanish}}</ref>

=== Storage ===

Pears may be stored at room temperature until ripe.<ref name="cpma">{{cite web |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100225202814/http://www.cpma.ca/en_hea_storage.asp |title=Home Storage Guide for Fresh Fruits & Vegetables |publisher=Canadian Produce Marketing Association |access-date=7 March 2026}}</ref> Pears are ripe when the flesh around the stem gives to gentle pressure. Ripe pears are optimally stored refrigerated, uncovered in a single layer, where they have a shelf life of 2 to 3 days.<ref name="cpma"/> Pears ripen at room temperature. Ripening is accelerated by the gas [[Ethylene as a plant hormone|ethylene, a plant hormone]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Himmelblau |first=David M. |title=Basic principles and calculations in chemical engineering |last2=Riggs |first2=James B. |date=2022 |publisher=[[Pearson Education|Pearson]] |isbn=978-0-13-732717-1 |edition=Ninth |series=International series in the physical and chemical engineering sciences |location=Boston}}</ref> If pears are placed next to [[banana]]s in a fruit bowl, the ethylene emitted by the banana causes the pears to ripen.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/413 |title=Pears can be ripened to perfection |work=extension.oregonstate.edu |year=2011 |last1=Scott |first1=Judy |last2=Sugar |first2=David |access-date=30 August 2011}}</ref> According to Pear Bureau Northwest, most varieties show little color change as they ripen (though the skin on Bartlett pears changes from green to yellow).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usapears.org/Recipes%20And%20Lifestyle/Culinary%20Corner/Produce-Guide.aspx |title=Pear Bureau Northwest |publisher=Usapears.org |access-date=14 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510223532/http://www.usapears.org/Recipes%20And%20Lifestyle/Culinary%20Corner/Produce-Guide.aspx |archive-date=10 May 2013 }}</ref>

== Uses ==

=== Nutrition ===

{{Nutritional value
| name=Pears, raw
| kJ=239
| water=84 g
| protein=0.36 g
| fat=0.14 g
| carbs=15.23 g
| fiber=3.1 g
| sugars=9.75 g
| fructose=6.42 g
| glucose=2.6 g
| sucrose=0.71 g
| calcium_mg=9
| iron_mg=0.18
| magnesium_mg=7
| phosphorus_mg=12
| potassium_mg=116
| sodium_mg=1
| zinc_mg=0.1
| manganese_mg=0.048
| copper_mg=0.082
| vitC_mg=4.3
| thiamin_mg=0.012
| riboflavin_mg=0.026
| niacin_mg=0.161
| pantothenic_mg=0.049
| vitB6_mg=0.029
| folate_ug=7
| choline_mg=5.1
| vitE_mg=0.12
| vitK_ug=4.4
| source_usda = 1
| note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/169118/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry]
}}

Raw pear is 84% water, 15% [[carbohydrates]] and contains negligible [[Protein (nutrient)|protein]] and [[fat]] (table). In a {{convert|100|g|oz|abbr=on|adj=off|frac=2}} reference amount, raw pear supplies {{convert|239|kJ|kcal|abbr=off}} of [[food energy]], a moderate amount of [[dietary fiber]], and no [[micronutrient]]s in significant amounts (table).

A 2019 review found preliminary evidence for the potential of pear consumption to favorably affect cardiovascular health.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gayer |first1=Bridget A. |last2=Avendano |first2=Esther E. |last3=Edelson |first3=Emily |last4=Nirmala |first4=Nanguneri |last5=Johnson |first5=Elizabeth J. |last6=Raman |first6=Gowri |title=Effects of Intake of Apples, Pears, or Their Products on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and Clinical Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis |journal=[[Current Developments in Nutrition]] |volume=3 |issue=10 |date=2019 |pmid=31667463 |pmc=6813372 |doi=10.1093/cdn/nzz109 |article-number=nzz109}}</ref>

=== Cooking ===

Pears are eaten fresh, canned, as [[juice]], and [[dried fruit|dried]]. The juice can also be used in [[Jelly (fruit preserves)|jellies]] and [[jam]]s, usually in combination with other fruits, including berries. Fermented pear juice is called [[perry]] or pear cider and is made in a way that is similar to how [[cider]] is made from apples.<ref name="Bell 2011" /><ref name="Hedrick 1921"/> Perry can be distilled to produce an ''[[eau de vie]] de poire'', a colorless, unsweetened fruit brandy.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stewart |first=Amy |title=The drunken botanist: the plants that create the world's great drinks |date=2013 |publisher=[[Algonquin Books]] |isbn=978-1-61620-046-6 |series=A New York Times bestseller |location=Chapel Hill, North Carolina }}</ref>

Pear purée is used to manufacture snack foods such as [[Fruit by the Foot]] and [[Fruit Roll-Ups]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global and Japan Pear Puree Market Analysis 2022: Industry Size, Share, Emerging Trends, Growth Opportunities And Forecast To 2028 |url=https://www.stratagemmarketinsights.com/report/pear-puree-market-120322 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240609190700/https://www.stratagemmarketinsights.com/report/pear-puree-market-120322 |archive-date=2024-06-09 |access-date=2024-06-09 |website=www.stratagemmarketinsights.com}}</ref>

The culinary or cooking pear is green but dry and hard, and only edible after several hours of cooking. Two Dutch cultivars are ''Gieser Wildeman'' (a sweet variety) and ''Saint Remy'' (slightly sour).<ref name="Koene2005">{{cite book|author=Koene, A. |title=Food Shopper's Guide to Holland: A Comprehensive Review of the Finest Local and International Food Products in the Dutch Marketplace |url=https://archive.org/details/foodshoppersguid0000koen |url-access=registration |year=2005 |publisher=Eburon Uitgeverij |isbn=978-90-5972-092-3 |page=[https://archive.org/details/foodshoppersguid0000koen/page/79 79]}}</ref>

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=160 heights=160>
File:Pyrus communis gestoofde stoofpeer Gieser Wildeman.jpg|Pears simmered in red wine
File:Poire belle Hélène.jpg|''[[Poire belle Hélène]]'', cooked pears with ice cream and chocolate sauce
File:Williams Christ Obstbrand.JPG|''[[Poire Williams]]'', a [[fruit brandy]] produced from the [[Williams pear]]. The bottle is tied to the tree and the pear is grown inside it.
File:Cider-quern.jpg|Traditional stone mill for making [[perry]] at [[Hellens]], [[Herefordshire]]. The varieties 'Hellens Early' and 'Hellens Green' were named after the house.
File:Svinatura casalinga sidro di pere.jpg|Filtering homemade perry
Sidro di pere (lattina e bottiglia).jpg|Commercial perry
</gallery>

=== Timber ===

Pear wood is one of the preferred materials in the manufacture of high-quality [[woodwind]] instruments and [[furniture]], and was used for making the carved blocks for [[woodcut]]s. It is also used for wood carving, and as a [[firewood]] to produce aromatic smoke for smoking meat or [[tobacco]]. Pear wood is valued for kitchen spoons, scoops and stirrers, as it does not contaminate food with color, flavor or smell, and resists warping and splintering despite repeated soaking and drying cycles. Lincoln<ref name="Lincoln, William 1986 pp. 33, 207">Lincoln, William (1986). ''World Woods in Color''. Fresno, California, USA: Linden Publishing Co. Inc. pp. 33, 207. {{ISBN|0-941936-20-1}}.</ref> describes it as "a fairly tough, very stable wood... (used for) carving... brushbacks, umbrella handles, measuring instruments such as set squares and T-squares... recorders... violin and guitar fingerboards and piano keys... decorative veneering." Pearwood is the favored wood for architect's rulers because it does not warp. It is similar to the wood of its relative, the apple tree (''[[Malus domestica]]'') and used for many of the same purposes.<ref name="Lincoln, William 1986 pp. 33, 207" />

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=160 heights=160>
File:Remember Me exhibition, Rijksmuseum 33.jpg|Relief sculpture portrait of [[Bartholomäus Welser]] in pearwood, c. 1530
File:Stone Hall overmantel, 1650-1750, pearwood - Fountains Hall - North Yorkshire, England - DSC00528.jpg|[[Overmantel]], 1650-1750, pearwood, [[Fountains Hall]], North Yorkshire
File:Pyrus Japanese wood coll Kew.jpg|Japanese pearwood panel, [[Kew Gardens]]
</gallery>

== In culture ==

"A Partridge in a Pear Tree" is the first gift in the [[cumulative song]] [[The Twelve Days of Christmas (song)|"The Twelve Days of Christmas"]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The twelve days of Christmas |publisher=[[Bodleian Libraries]], University of Oxford |url=http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/edition/12086 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231113154701/http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/edition/12086 |archive-date=13 November 2023 |access-date=4 December 2023 |website=Broadside Ballads Online}}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[List of culinary fruits]]

== References ==

{{reflist|30em}}

== External links ==

* {{Commons category-inline|Pyrus|''Pyrus''}}
* {{Cookbook-inline|Pear}}

{{Pyrus}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q434}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Pears| ]]
[[Category:Pyrus| ]]
[[Category:Crops originating from Europe]]
[[Category:Flora of Asia]]
[[Category:Flora of Europe]]
[[Category:Flora of North Africa]]
[[Category:Fruits originating in Africa]]
<!--[[Category:Fruits originating in Europe]]-->
[[Category:Fruit trees]]