 |
Pears
are trees of the genus Pyrus and the fruit of that tree,
edible in some species. Pears are native to temperate
regiona of the Old World, from western Europe and north
Africa east right across Asia. They are medium sized trees,
reaching 10-17 m tall, often with a tall, narrow crown;
a few species are shrubby. The leaves are alternately
arranged, simple, 2-12 cm long, glossy green on some species,
densely silvery-hairy in some others; leaf shape varies
from broad oval to narrow lanceolate. Most pears are deciduous,
but one or two species in southeast Asia are evergreen. |
|
|
Two
Nashi Pears. One has had a bite taken out of it.The flowers
are white, rarely tinted yellow or pink, 2-4 cm diameter,
and have five petals. Like that of the related apple,
the pear fruit is a pome, in most wild species 1-4 cm
diameter, but in some cultivated forms up to 18 cm long
and 8 cm broad; the shape varies from globular in most
species, to the classic 'pear-shape' of the European Pear
with an elongated basal portion and a bulbous end. There
are about 30 species of pears. Three are important for
edible fruit production, the European Pear Pyrus communis
cultivated mainly in Europe and North America, the Ya
Pear Pyrus bretschneideri, and the Nashi Pear Pyrus pyrifolia
(also known as Asian Pear or Apple Pear), both grown mainly
in eastern Asia. There are thousands of cultivars of these
three species. |
|
