Students for Stewardship The Cork Board
← Back to the library

Harrow Sweet Pear

Pyrus communis (PY-russ kom-YOO-nis)

Family: Rosaceae Unknown Canopy (>40 ft)

This is a precocious cultivar. Very productive and therefore needs heavy thinning. Blight resistant. It requires at least two cultivars to ensure adequate pollination. VIDEO Created by Elisabeth Meyer for "Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Nuts," a plant identification course developed in partnership with Longwood Gardens. More information on Pyrus communis .

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 52 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Fills a similar niche Pyrus communis Pyrus communis 'Harvest Queen' Pyrus communis 'Kieffer'

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Edible; Tree
Life cycle
Woody
USDA zones
4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
Available space
24-60 feet
Mature size
Height: 30 ft. 0 in. - 40 ft. 0 in. | Width: 30 ft. 0 in. - 40 ft. 0 in.
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Oval
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Orbicular; Ovate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf feel
Glossy; Smooth
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
The simple green leaves feature fine teeth on the margin.
Flower color
White
Flower value
Showy
Flower detail
White flowers bloom in early spring.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Gold/Yellow; Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Pome
Fruit value
Edible; Fragrant
Fruit size
> 3 inches long, > 3 inches wide
Fruit detail
It produces a similar Bartlett-sized, yellow with red blush and some russetting fruit. The white flesh is sweet and juicy with excellent flavor. Ripens about 3 1/2 weeks after Bartlett.
Bark color
Light Gray
Bark detail
Similar to an apple tree; prominent lenticels that grow fissured and scaly with age.
Stem color
Gray/Silver
Stem detail
Dwarf shoots on old wood. New stems are pointed.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Attracts
Butterflies; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Fruit
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Pome

Edibility

It produces a similar Bartlett-sized, yellow with red blush and some russetting fruit. The white flesh is sweet and juicy with excellent flavor. Ripens about 3 1/2 weeks after Bartlett.

Landscape Use
Landscape theme
Edible Garden
Design feature
Flowering Tree
Garden tags
#deciduous #edible garden #flowering tree #edible fruits #pomes #fruit tree #edible #th-taste #th-wildlife

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.