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Callery "Bradford" Pear
Pyrus
calleryana
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Identification
Medium to large
deciduous tree in the rose family. The Bradford cultivar of callery
pear has a highly branched, top heavy form. The simple alternate
leaves have a waxy, shiny appearance and serrated margins. The form
of the tree and its weak, soft wood often causes it to split and
break off or be subject to blow downs in high wind or heavy snow and
ice.
In early spring,
the tree produces a large amount of 5-petal white flowers that are
usually destroyed by late frost. The Bradford, Cleveland Select,
Redspire, Capital, Chanticleer, Autumn Blaze and all other cultivars
of callery pear produce a large crop of tiny brownish-green ‘pears’
that have viable seed. Sometimes referred to as Chinese Pea Pear.
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Origin
China
Habitat
Grows well in a
variety of conditions. Does best in full sun, but can tolerate
partial shade along with periods of wet soil and drought. It is
highly tolerant of poor soils and air pollution associated with
urban landscapes. Often found in small natural areas near urban
areas where it competes, usually successfully, with other escaped
and invasive landscaping plantings and native vegetation. It is also
widely planted in rural areas.
Ecological Threat
The invasive
nature of callery pear has only recently been discovered. The
Bradford cultivar was originally supposed to be sterile, but it
readily cross pollinates with other cultivars and produces viable
seed in large quantities. When a Bradford pear is broken or split by
weather, it quickly sends up root sprouts that are not Bradford
pear, but are the callery pear that produces viable seed, has a very
poor form, and possesses large thorns. The Bradford pear and other
cultivars also spread into natural areas with vegetative means such
as root suckering.
This tree is
unfortunately still widely planted in landscapes for its aesthetic
value. The small natural areas left in urban settings are being
taken over by callery pear, with little room for the now scarce
native plants to grow. The wildlife dispersed seed is beginning to
cause callery pear to show up in places where it was never planted
such as along roads, in fields, and riparian areas.
Recommended Native Alternatives
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Downy
serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea)
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Carolina
silverbell (Halesia tetraptera)
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Flowering
dogwood (Cornus florida)
These pages are designed to give the
layperson a general overview of non-native invasive plants commonly
found in the upper Hiwassee River watershed. For more comprehensive
and technical information about a particular species, visit one of
the web sites from our
Links
page. |
