‘Olympic’ is a hybrid Asian Pearin the rose family (Rosaceae) with good fire blight resistance. Olympic grows 12 to 15 feet tall and wide and requires 400 chill hours. Plant in full sun and well-drained, moist to dry soils. It is heat and humidity-tolerant and drought-tolerant once established. It will need to be planted with another variety for pollination. Here is an NC State guide for growing fruit in NC. The spring blooms give way to large, round fruit with dark brown russet skin in October, which can weigh up to a pound each. The pear is crisp and juicy with a high sugar content and a good shelf life. Asian pears are grown commercially or in the home edible garden. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Diseases include Pseudomonas shoot blight, rust disease, blossom rot, pear scab, and blossom wilt. Insects include codling moths, aphids, pear blister mite, pear midge, pear slug, caterpillars, and cherry slugworm. Deer will browse the tree. More information on Pyrus pyrifolia .
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 nichePyrus communis 'Hosui'Pyrus communis 'Kosui'Pyrus communis 'Shin Li'
Full plant profile
Growing Conditions
Plant type
Edible; Tree
Life cycle
Woody
USDA zones
5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12-24 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 12 ft. 0 in. - 15 ft. 0 in. | Width: 10 ft. 0 in. - 15 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
High
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Entire; Serrate
Leaf feel
Glossy
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
2.7 to 4 in. alternate simple, lance-shaped leaves with entire or finely toothed margins. They are lustrous dark green in summer and yellow, orange or red in the fall.
Fall color
Orange
Flower color
White
Flower value
Fragrant; Showy
Flower form
Umbel
Flower shape
Cup
Flower detail
The five-petaled white flowers bloom in April to early May for a full week even during inclement spring weather. They bloom in clusters of five or more on spurs before the leaves.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Pome
Fruit value
Edible
Fruit size
> 3 inches long, > 3 inches wide
Fruit detail
The pear is large and round with dark brown russet skin, maturing.in October. It can weigh up to a pound each. The pear is crisp and juicy with a high sugar content and a good shelf life.
Bark color
Dark Brown; Dark Gray
Bark detail
Smooth grayish to brown bark, becoming fissured and scaly with age
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Gray/Silver
Stem detail
Smooth, grayish-to-brown bark on young branches. Mature branchlets are purplish brown or dark brown, buds are oval and scales have hairs at the margins.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Wildlife value
Pollinators are attracted to the flowers. Mammals will eat the fruits.
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Fruit
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Pome
Landscape Use
Landscape theme
Edible Garden
Garden tags
#edible garden #frequent insect problems #frequent disease problems #white flowers #deciduous tree #edible fruit #spring flowers #fruit tree #high maintenance
Problems & Resistance
Insect problems
North Carolina Production Guide for Smaller Orchard Plantings