#117 CHINESE WILD PEAR
Pyrus ussuriensis
This tree is at the foot of the entrance steps, on the north side of the Malus Avenue.
County Champion
| Distribution: | North east China, Korea and the region region of Ussuri River in far eastern Russia. |
| Planting Date: | March 1924 from Hillier Nurseries, Romsey, Hampshire. |
| Growth Habit: | Vigorous small to medium sized tree. |
| Bark: | Rectangular, vertical ‘tiles’ of dark reddish brown bark. |
| Leaf: | Delicately whisker-toothed, ovate to obovate to oblong leaves are downy at first and turn yellow in Autumn. |
| Flowers: | Five fragile white petals open from creamy pale pink buds. They are backed by delicately haired calyces on softly haired flower stems to form clusters in the leaves. |
| Fruit: | The fruit are small, round, yellow-green on a stout stalk, about 5 cm across. The calyx is persistent. The fruit is hard and inedible |
| Tree size and height in April 2023: | Height 9.8 m Girth 106 cm |
| Uses: | Pear wood does not retain colour, smell or flavour. It resists warping and splintering which makes it a valuable material for kitchen stirrers and spoons. It is used to make woodwind instruments and is good for carving. Products made from these fruits may prove effective in the control of ticks and mites. |
| Plant Hunter: | Not known |
| Introduction Date: | circa. 1855-1865 |
| Anecdotes and Comments | The earliest of all the blossom trees to flower in the Arboretum. Pears have been known and used since prehistoric times; dried slices were found in Swiss Cave dwellings of the Ice Age. Culture of pears goes back 2,500 to 3,000 years and is chronicled in the writings of Shi Jing from 1,200 years ago. |
Rated as a County Champion by height and girth in April 2023 by The Tree Register