Callery pear (Bradford pear) USDA PLANTS Symbol: PYCA80
USDA ARS GRIN: 30463
ITIS: 504706

Pyrus calleryana Dcne.
Taxonomic Rank: Magnoliopsida: Rosales: Rosaceae

Callery pear, or Bradford pear, is an ornamental, deciduous tree that can grow up to 40 ft. (12.2 m) in height. Some non-sterile cultivars of this species have escaped and are invading natural areas throughout the eastern United States. The leaves are alternate, simple, 2 to 3 in. (5.1-7.6 cm) long, petiolate and shiny with wavy, slightly-toothed margins. The overall shape of the tree is often described as a tear-drop that often spreads out with age. Flowering occurs early in the spring (April to May) before the leaves emerge. The flowers are 1 in. (2.5 cm) wide, showy, malodorous and white. Fruits are round, 0.5 in. (1.3 cm) in diameter and green to brown in color. The “Bradford” variety of pear, which produced sterile fruits, has been widely planted throughout the United States since the early 1900s, but recent cultivars, bred to reduce the tendency of the tree to split in snow or high winds, have produced viable seeds and escaped to invade disturbed areas.


Identification, Biology, Control and Management Resources



Selected Images from Invasive.orgView All Images at Invasive.org


Twig(s)/Shoot(s); twigs and thorns
Nancy Loewenstein, Auburn University, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage

Tree(s); November
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
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Fruit(s); November
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
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Failure; Showing split tree, to correct this new hybrids were developed, these were not sterile.
Rich Mason, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bugwood.org
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Twig(s)/Shoot(s); November
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage

Flower(s);
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage


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Bugwood Center Developed by The University of Georgia - Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Last updated on Thursday, February 14, 2013 at 02:47 PM