Pyrus calleryana
species of plant
Pyrus calleryana, also known as the Callery pear, is a species of pear tree native to East Asia in the family Rosaceae. Its cultivar Bradford pear, known for its offensive odor that some have described as akin to "rotting fish", is widely planted throughout the United States and increasingly regarded as an invasive species.
Description
Pyrus calleryana is deciduous, growing to 5 to 8 m (16 to 26 ft) tall, often with a conical to rounded crown. The leaves are oval, 4 to 8 cm (1+1⁄2 to 3 in) long, glossy dark green above, and pale beneath. They have long petioles alternately arranged on branches. The white, five-petaled flowers are about 2 to 2.5 cm (3⁄4 to 1 in) in diameter. They are produced abundantly in early spring, before the leaves expand fully.
The fruits (which are often assumed to be inedible due to their abundant, cyanide-laced seeds) of the Callery pear are small (less than 1 centimetre (3⁄8 in) in diameter) and hard, almost woody, until softened by frost, after which they are readily taken by birds, which disperse the seeds in their droppings. When fully softened, their fruit pulp is palatable to humans as well. In summer, the shining foliage is dark green and very smooth, and in autumn, the leaves commonly turn brilliant colors, ranging from yellow and orange to more commonly red, pink, purple, and bronze.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Pyrus calleryana” as species of plant. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the science & nature register because the source frames it as species of plant. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3079266. The Library of Congress control number is sh2012003565. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Pyrus calleryana” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.