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{{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 [[#Major species|text]]
}}

'''Pears''' are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in late summer into mid-autumn. The pear tree and shrub are a [[species]] of [[genus]] '''''Pyrus''''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|aɪ|r|ə|s}}, in the [[Family (biology)|family]] [[Rosaceae]], bearing the [[Pome|pomaceous]] fruit of the same name. Several species of pears are valued for their edible fruit and juices, while others are cultivated as trees.

The tree is medium-sized and native to coastal and mildly temperate regions of Europe, North Africa, and Asia. Pear wood is one of the preferred materials in the manufacture of high-quality [[woodwind instrument]]s and [[furniture]].

About 3,000 known varieties of pears are grown worldwide, which vary in both shape and taste. The fruit is consumed fresh, [[canning|canned]], as [[juice]], [[Dried fruit|dried]], or [[ferment]]ed as [[perry]].

== Etymology ==
The word ''pear'' is probably from Germanic ''pera'' as a [[loanword]] of [[Vulgar Latin]] ''pira'', the plural of ''pirum'', akin to Greek ''apios'' (from Mycenaean ''ápisos''),<ref>{{OEtymD|pear}}</ref> of Semitic origin (''pirâ''), meaning "fruit". The adjective ''[[wikt:pyriform|pyriform]]'' or ''piriform'' means pear-shaped.<ref>{{cite web |title=pyriform, adj. |url=https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/155457 |website=Oxford English Dictionary |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=28 April 2021}}</ref> The classical Latin word for a pear tree is ''[[:wikt:pirus#Latin|pirus]]'';<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059%3Aentry%3Dpirus |dictionary=[[A Latin Dictionary]] |first1=Charlton T. |last1=Lewis |first2=Charles |last2=Short |title=pĭrus |date=1879 |publisher=Clarendon Press |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 |author=[[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 ==
[[File:Pear's morphology.svg|thumb|Pear's morphology]]
[[File:PearBlossomsCalifornia.jpg|thumb|Pear blossoms|left]]

The pear is [[native plant|native]] to coastal, temperate, and mountainous regions of the [[Old World]], from Western Europe and North Africa east across Asia.<ref name=":0">{{Citation |last=Bell |first=Richard L. |title=Pyrus |date=2011 |work=Wild Crop Relatives: Genomic and Breeding Resources |pages=147–177 |editor-last=Kole |editor-first=Chittaranjan |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-642-16057-8_8 |access-date=2024-06-07 |place=Berlin, Heidelberg |publisher=Springer Berlin Heidelberg |doi=10.1007/978-3-642-16057-8_8 |isbn=978-3-642-16056-1 |last2=Itai |first2=Akihiro}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Fruit breeding |date=1996 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-0-471-12675-1 |editor-last=Janick |editor-first=Jules |location=New York |editor-last2=Moore |editor-first2=James N.}}</ref> They are medium-sized trees, reaching up to 20 m tall, often with a tall, narrow crown; a few pear species are [[shrub]]by.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Pyrus communis - Plant Finder |url=https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=286400 |access-date=2024-06-07 |website=www.missouribotanicalgarden.org}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Citation |last=Quinet |first=Muriel |title=Botany and Taxonomy of Pear |date=2019 |work=The Pear Genome |pages=1–33 |editor-last=Korban |editor-first=Schuyler S. |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11048-2_1 |access-date=2024-06-07 |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-11048-2_1 |isbn=978-3-030-11048-2 |last2=Wesel |first2=Jean-Pierre}}</ref>

The [[leaf|leaves]] are alternately arranged, 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=":2" /> Most pears are [[deciduous]], but one or two species in Southeast Asia are [[evergreen]].<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4">{{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 |issn=0003-0147}}</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=":0"/><ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Hedrick |first=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=":2" /><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=":2" /> The shape varies in most species from oblate or globose, to the classic pyriform "[[Female body shape|pear shape]]" of the [[European pear]] with an elongated basal portion and a bulbous end.<ref name=":3" />

The fruit is a [[Accessory fruit|pseudofruit]] composed of the receptacle or upper end of the flower stalk (the so-called [[calyx (botany)|calyx]] tube) greatly dilated.<ref name=":2" /> Enclosed within its cellular flesh is the true fruit: 2–5 '[[Cartilage#Plants and fungi|cartilaginous]]' [[carpels]],<ref name=":0" /><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=":2" />
[[File:زنبور و شکوفه گلابی.jpg|thumb|A bee pollinating on a pear tree blossom]]
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 pears look very much like some apples, e.g. the [[Pyrus pyrifolia|nashi pear]].<ref name=":1" /><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>

== History ==
[[File:Bradford 9288.JPG|thumb|''[[Pyrus calleryana]]'' in flower]]
[[Pomology|Pear cultivation]] in [[temperate climate]]s extends to the remotest antiquity, and evidence exists of its use as a food since prehistoric times. Many traces have been found in [[prehistoric pile dwellings around Lake Zurich]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Antolín |first=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) |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1040618215007570 |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 |issn=1040-6182}}</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=0415927463}}</ref> An article on Pear tree cultivation in [[Spain]] is brought down 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 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=":5">{{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>

The pear was also 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> [[Natural History (Pliny)|Pliny's ''Natural History'']] recommended stewing them 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|title=Apicius (with an introd. and an Engl. transl.)|year=2006|publisher=Prospect Books|location=Blackawton, Totnes|isbn=978-1-903018-13-2|page=IV.2.35 |author1=Grainger, Sally  |author2=Grocock, Christopher |name-list-style=amp }}</ref> Romans also introduced the fruit to Britain.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Lyle|first=Katie Letcher|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/560560606|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, CN|pages=105|oclc=560560606|orig-year=2004}}</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]] (see also [[cider]]).<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Kole |first=Chittaranjan |title=Wild Crop Relatives: Genomic and Breeding Resources Temperate Fruits |last2=Kole |first2=Chittaranjan |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>{{Citation |last=Itai |first=A. |title=Pear |date=2007 |work=Fruits and Nuts |volume=4 |pages=157–170 |editor-last=Kole |editor-first=Chittaranjan |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-540-34533-6_6 |access-date=2024-06-08 |place=Berlin, Heidelberg |publisher=Springer Berlin Heidelberg |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-540-34533-6_6 |isbn=978-3-540-34531-2}}</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 |last=Aldasoro |first=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 |language=en |volume=121 |issue=2 |pages=143–158 |doi=10.1111/j.1095-8339.1996.tb00749.x}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=AYDIN |first=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-1411-34 |issn=1300-008X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Pyrus cordata {{!}} Plymouth pear Trees/RHS Gardening |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 |website=www.rhs.org.uk |language=en-gb}}</ref>

The [[genus]] is thought to have originated 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|pages=1–8|doi=10.1155/2014/541097|issn=2356-654X|url=http://ainfo.cnptia.embrapa.br/digital/bitstream/item/103454/1/Rosa-Lia.pdf|doi-access=free}}</ref> in the foothills of the [[Tian Shan]], a mountain range of Central Asia, 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=":4" /> 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=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> 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|author=Cecil, 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=":2" />  Small-fruited species, such as ''[[Pyrus calleryana]],'' may be used as [[rootstock]]s for the cultivated forms.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=Rootstocks for Pear {{!}} WSU Tree Fruit {{!}} Washington State University |url=https://treefruit.wsu.edu/web-article/pear-rootstocks/ |access-date=2024-06-08 |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Major species ==
[[File:Assortment of pears.jpg|thumb|(Left to right, top to bottom) Korean pear, Bosc pear, Forelle pear, red D'Anjou pear, Bartlett pear, green D'Anjou pear, Seckel pear, Comice pear]]
[[File:Pyrus pyrifolia.jpg|thumb|Many varieties, such as the [[Nashi pear]], are not "pear-shaped".]]

{|
|- valign=top
|
* ''[[Pyrus amygdaliformis]]''—Almond-leaved pear
* ''[[Pyrus anatolica]]''
* ''[[Pyrus armeniacifolia]]''—Apricot-leaved pear
* ''[[Pyrus betulifolia]]''—Birchleaf pear
* ''[[Pyrus boissieriana]]''
* ''[[Pyrus bourgaeana]]''—Iberian pear
* ''[[Pyrus × bretschneideri]]''—Chinese white pear; also classified as a subspecies of ''Pyrus pyrifolia''
* ''[[Pyrus calleryana]]''—Callery 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.]] ''P. caucasica'')
* ''[[Pyrus cordata]]''—Plymouth pear
* ''[[Pyrus elaeagrifolia]]''—Oleaster-leaved pear
* ''[[Pyrus gergerana]]''—Gergeranian pear
* ''[[Pyrus glabra]]''
* ''[[Pyrus hakkiarica]]''
* ''[[Pyrus hondoensis]]''
* ''[[Pyrus hopeiensis]]''
* ''[[Pyrus koehnei]]''—Evergreen pear of southern China and Taiwan
* ''[[Pyrus korshinskyi]]''
* ''[[Pyrus neoserrulata]]''
* ''[[Pyrus nivalis]]''—Snow pear
* ''[[Pyrus oxyprion]]''
* ''[[Pyrus pashia]]''—Afghan pear
* ''[[Pyrus × phaeocarpa]]''
* ''[[Pyrus pseudopashia]]''
* ''[[Pyrus pyraster]]''—Wild European pear ([[syn.]] (''Pyrus communis'' subsp. ''pyraster'')
* ''[[Pyrus pyrifolia]]''—Nashi pear, ''Sha Li''; tree species native to China, Japan, and Korea, also known as the Asian pear
* ''[[Pyrus regelii]]''
* ''[[Pyrus salicifolia]]''—Willow-leaved pear
* ''[[Pyrus × sinkiangensis]]''—thought to be an interspecific hybrid between ''P. ''×''bretschneideri'' and ''Pyrus communis''
* ''[[Pyrus spinosa]]''
* ''[[Pyrus syriaca]]''—Syrian pear
* ''[[Pyrus ussuriensis]]''—Siberian pear (also known as the Ussurian pear, Harbin pear, or Manchurian pear)
* ''[[Pyrus xerophila]]''
|}

== Cultivation ==
[[File:Pear tree in Hamedan Iran.jpg|thumb|Pear tree]]
According to Pear Bureau Northwest, about 3,000 known varieties of pears are grown worldwide.<ref name=":7">{{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 |url-status=dead }}</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=":0" /> There are thousands of [[cultivar]]s of these three species.<ref name=":7" /> 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=":0" /><ref name=":2" />

Other species are used as [[rootstock]]s for European and Asian pears and as [[ornamental plant|ornamental trees]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":6" /> 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 |language=en-US}}</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 |language=en}}</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=":8">{{Citation |last=Bell |first=Richard L. |title=Genetics, Genomics, and Breeding for Fire Blight Resistance in Pear |date=2019 |work=The Pear Genome |pages=243–264 |editor-last=Korban |editor-first=Schuyler S. |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-030-11048-2_13 |access-date=2024-06-08 |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-11048-2_13 |isbn=978-3-030-11047-5}}</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=":9">{{Cite journal |last=Culley |first=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 |url=https://doi.org/10.1641/B571108 |journal=BioScience |volume=57 |issue=11 |pages=956–964 |doi=10.1641/b571108 |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 |issn=0008-7475}}</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 |language=en}}</ref> It is also used as a blight-resistant rootstock for ''Pyrus communis'' fruit orchards.<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":9" /> The Willow-leaved pear (''[[Pyrus salicifolia]]'') is grown for its silvery leaves, flowers, and its "weeping" form.<ref name=":0" /><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>

===Cultivars===
{{Main article|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>

=== Harvest ===
Summer and autumn [[cultivar]]s of ''Pyrus communis'', being [[climacteric fruits]], are gathered before they are fully ripe, while they are still green, but snap off when lifted.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Marini |first=Richard P. |date=2009 |title=Growing Pears in Virginia |url=https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/server/enwiki/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/enwiki/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=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Itai |first=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 |issn=0018-5345|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>

=== Diseases and pests ===
{{Main article|List of pear diseases|Lepidoptera}}
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; clear:right; width:14em; text-align:center; margin-right:1em;"
|+Pear production – 2022
|-
! style="background:#ddf;" | Country
! style="background:#ddf;;" |<small>(Millions of<br /> [[tonne]]s)</small>
|-
|{{CHN}}||19.3
|-
|{{USA}}||0.58
|-
|{{ARG}}||0.57
|-
|{{TUR}}||0.55
|-
|{{ITA}}||0.52
|- style="background:#ccc;"
|'''World'''||26.3
|-
| colspan="2" |<small>Source: [[FAOSTAT]]</small><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 2022, Crops/Regions/World Regions/Production Quantity/Year by picklists|date=2024|access-date=30 March 2024}}</ref>
|}

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

In 2022, world production of pears was 26 million [[tonne]]s, led by [[China]] with 73% 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 |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">[https://web.archive.org/web/20100225202814/http://www.cpma.ca/en_hea_storage.asp Canadian Produce Marketing Association > Home Storage Guide for Fresh Fruits & Vegetables]. cpma.ca</ref> Pears are ripe when the flesh around the stem gives to gentle pressure.<ref name="cpma" /> 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]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Himmelblau |first1=David M. |title=Basic principles and calculations in chemical engineering |last2=Riggs |first2=James B. |date=2022 |publisher=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 |author1=Scott, Judy  |author2=Sugar, David   |name-list-style=amp |access-date=30 August 2011}}</ref> Refrigeration will slow further ripening. 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 as they ripen).<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 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

== Uses ==

===Cooking===
[[File:Williams Christ Obstbrand.JPG|thumb|right|upright|''[[Poire Williams]]'', a [[fruit brandy]] produced from the [[Williams pear]]. The bottle is tied to the tree and the pear is grown inside it.]]

Pears are consumed 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=":0" /><ref name=":3" /> 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 of Chapel Hill |isbn=978-1-61620-046-6 |series=A New York Times bestseller |location=Chapel Hill, N.C}}</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 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=EWG's Food Scores: Fruit by the Foot Fruit Flavored Snacks, Strawberry, Strawberry |url=https://www.ewg.org/foodscores/products/016000493001-FruitbytheFootFruitFlavoredSnacksStrawberryStrawberry/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520223641/https://www.ewg.org/foodscores/products/016000493001-FruitbytheFootFruitFlavoredSnacksStrawberryStrawberry/ |archive-date=2022-05-20 |access-date=2024-06-09 |website=www.ewg.org |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=EWG's Food Scores: Fruit Roll Ups Blue Raspberry, Berry Punch Fruit Flavored Sour Snacks, Blue Raspberry, Berry Punch |url=https://www.ewg.org/foodscores/products/016000155015-FruitRollUpsBlueRaspberryBerryPunchFruitFlavoredSourSnacksBlueRaspberryBerryPunch/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327144034/https://www.ewg.org/foodscores/products/016000155015-FruitRollUpsBlueRaspberryBerryPunchFruitFlavoredSourSnacksBlueRaspberryBerryPunch/ |archive-date=2023-03-27 |access-date=2024-06-09 |website=www.ewg.org |language=en-US}}</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 B.V.|isbn=978-90-5972-092-3|page=[https://archive.org/details/foodshoppersguid0000koen/page/79 79]}}</ref>

===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" />

== 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
| 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
| 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://web.archive.org/web/20160417083033/https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list?qlookup=09252&format=Full 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).

===Research===
A 2019 review found preliminary evidence for the potential of pear consumption to favorably affect cardiovascular health.<ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=Gayer BA, Avendano EE, Edelson E, Nirmala N, Johnson EJ, Raman G|display-authors=3|year=2019|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 |pages=nzz109 |doi=10.1093/cdn/nzz109 |pmid=31667463 |pmc=6813372}}</ref>

== Cultural references ==
Pears grow in the sublime [[orchard]] of [[Alcinous]], in the ''[[Odyssey]]'' vii: "Therein grow trees, tall and luxuriant, pears and [[pomegranate]]s and [[apple]]-trees with their bright fruit, and sweet [[ficus|figs]], and luxuriant [[olive]]s. Of these the fruit perishes not nor fails in [[winter]] or in summer, but lasts throughout the year."<ref>{{Cite book |author=Homer |title=The Odyssey of Homer |orig-date=Composed 8th century BCE |publisher=Harper & Row |isbn=9780060904791 |location=New York |publication-date=1975 |translator-last=Lattimore |translator-first=Richmond}}</ref>

"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 |last1=Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford |title=The twelve days of Christmas |url=http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/edition/12086 |website=Broadside Ballads Online |access-date=4 December 2023}}</ref>

The pear tree was an object of particular veneration (as was the [[walnut]]) in the [[tree worship]] of the [[Nakh peoples]] of the [[North Caucasus]] – see [[Vainakh mythology]] and see also [[Ingushetia]] – the best-known of the Vainakh peoples today being the [[Chechens]] of [[Chechnya]]. Pear and walnut trees were held to be the sacred abodes of beneficent spirits in pre-Islamic Chechen religion and, for this reason, it was forbidden to fell them.<ref>''The Chechens: A Handbook'' by Jaimoukha, Amjad. Published by Psychology Press, 2005. {{ISBN|978-0-415-32328-4}}.</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Pyrus communis gestoofde stoofpeer Gieser Wildeman.jpg|Pears simmered in red wine
File:Pear in a bottle.jpg|Pear in a bottle of pear ''[[eau de vie]]''
File:Pear Blossom in Eastern Siberia.jpg|Pear blossom in eastern Siberia
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[List of culinary fruits]]
* [[List of pear cultivars]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |author=Joan Morgan |year=2015 |title=The Book of Pears: The Definitive History and Guide to Over 500 Varieties |publisher=Chelsea Green Publishing |isbn=978-1603586665}}

== 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]]