Pyrus cordata
species of plant
Pyrus cordata, the Plymouth pear, is a rare wild species of pear belonging to the family Rosaceae. It gets its scientific name cordata and French names Poirier à feuilles en cœur, Poirier à feuilles cordées from the shape of its leaves. The English name Plymouth pear is after the city of Plymouth in Devon, where it was originally found in 1870 The Plymouth pear was one of the British trees to be funded under English Natures Species Recovery Programme.
It is a small tree, that grows in hedgerows or at the edge of woods.
The Plymouth pear is considered to be either a subspecies of Pyrus pyraster (European wild pear) or a distinct species. It is one of the rarest trees in the UK and it is protected under Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act and seeds have been deposited at Kew's Millennium Seed Bank.
Description
Pyrus cordata is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing up to 10 metres (33 ft) in height.
It is hardy and is not frost tender, but its ability to bear fruit and thus seed is dependent upon favourable weather conditions.
It is in flower from April to May. The flowers are hermaphroditic and are pollinated by insects.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Pyrus cordata” 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.
Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 10, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7263791. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1870.
Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Pyrus cordata”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Pyrus cordata primary sources, Pyrus cordata archive and Pyrus research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Pyrus cordata”?
- Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
- Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Pyrus cordata” 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.