Pear
24278
225607332
2008-07-14T15:07:21Z
90.191.146.112
iw
{{Taxobox
| name = Pear
| image = Pears.jpg
| image_caption = [[European Pear]] branch with fruit
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Rosales]]
| familia = Rosaceae
| subfamilia = [[Maloideae]]
| genus = '''''Pyrus'''''
| genus_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
| subdivision_ranks = [[Species]]
| subdivision =
About 30 species; see text
}}
{{refimprove|date=January 2007}}
{{Otheruses}}
A '''pear''' is a [[pome|pomaceous]] [[fruit]] produced by a tree of [[genus]] ''Pyrus''. The English word ''pear'' is probably from Common [[West Germanic]] ''*pera'', probably a loanword of [[Vulgar Latin]] ''pira'', the plural of ''pirum'', which is itself of unknown origin.It is known as '''nashpati''' in India See also [[Peorð]]. The [[Perry (disambiguation)|place name ''Perry'']] can indicate the historical presence of pear trees. The term "pyriform" is sometimes used to describe something which is "pear-shaped".
The pear is classified within [[Maloideae]], a subfamily within [[Rosaceae]]. The [[apple]] (''Malus ''×''domestica'') which it resembles in floral structure, is also a member of this subfamily. In both cases the so-called fruit is composed of the receptacle or upper end of the flower-stalk (the so-called [[calyx (botany)|calyx]] tube) greatly dilated, and enclosing within its cellular flesh the five [[cartilaginous]] [[carpels]] which constitute the "core" and are really the true fruit. From the upper rim of the receptacle are given off the five [[sepal]]s, the five [[petal]]s, and the very numerous [[stamen]]s. Another major relative of the pear (and thus the apple) is the [[quince]].
The form of the pear and of the apple respectively, although usually characteristic enough, is not by itself sufficient to distinguish them, for there are pears which cannot by form alone be distinguished from apples, and apples which cannot by superficial appearance be recognized from pears. A major distinction is the occurrence in the tissue of the fruit, or beneath the rind, of clusters of lignified cells known as "grit" in the case of the pear, while in the apple no such formation of woody cells takes place. The appearance of the tree—the bark, the foliage, the type of inflorescence (i.e. form of the flower cluster)—is, however, usually quite characteristic in the two species.
==History==
[[Image:Bradford 9288.JPG|right|thumb|[[Callery Pear]]s in flower]]
The cultivation of the pear in cool temperate climates extends to the remotest antiquity. Many traces of it have been found in the [[Lake dwelling|Swiss lake-dwelling]]s. The word "pear" or its equivalent occurs in all the Celtic languages, while in Slavonic and other dialects different appellations, but still referring to the same thing, are found—a diversity and multiplicity of nomenclature which led [[Alphonse de Candolle]] to infer a very ancient cultivation of the tree from the shores of the Caspian to those of the Atlantic.
Pears grow in the sublime orchard of Alcinous, in ''[[Odyssey]]'' vii: "Therein grow trees, tall and luxuriant, pears and pomegranates and apple-trees with their bright fruit, and sweet figs, and luxuriant olives. Of these the fruit perishes not nor fails in winter or in summer, but lasts throughout the year."
The pear was cultivated also by the Romans, who did not eat them raw: [[Pliny's Natural History]] recommended stewing them with honey and noted three dozen varieties. The Roman cookbook attributed to [[Apicius]], ''[[De re coquinaria]]'', has a recipe for a spiced stewed-pear ''patina'', or soufflé (IV.2.35).
A certain race of pears, with white down on the under surface of their leaves, is supposed to have originated from ''P. nivalis'', and their fruit is chiefly used in France in the manufacture of [[Perry]] (see [[Cider]]). Other small-fruited pears, distinguished by their precocity and apple-like fruit, may be referred to ''P. cordata'', a species found wild in western [[France]], and in [[Devon|Devonshire]] and [[Cornwall]]. Pears have been cultivated in China for approximately 3000 years.
The genus is thought to have originated in present-day western China in the foothills of the [[Tian Shan]], a mountain range of Central Asia, and to have spread to the east and west along mountain chains, evolving into a diverse group of over 20 widely recognized primary species. The enormous number of varieties of the cultivated European pear (''Pyrus communis''), are without doubt derived from one or two wild species (''P. pyraster'' and ''P. caucasica''), widely distributed throughout Europe, and sometimes forming part of the natural vegetation of the forests. In [[England]], where an ancient pear tree gave its name to ''Pirio'' (Perry Barr, a district of Birmingham) in [[Domesday]], the pear is sometimes considered wild; there is always the doubt that it may not really be so, but the produce of some seed of a cultivated tree deposited by birds or otherwise, which has germinated as a wild-form spine-bearing tree. Court accounts of [[Henry III of England]] record pears shipped from [[Rochelle]] and presented to the King by the Sheriffs of London.<ref>Evelyn Cecil, ''A History of Gardening in England'' 2006:35ff</ref> The French names of pears grown in English medieval gardens suggests that their reputation, at the least, was French; a favored variety in the accounts was named for Saint Rule or Regul', bishop of Senlis.<ref>Cecil 2006.</ref>
Asian species with medium to large edible fruit include ''P. pyrifolia'', ''P. ussuriensis'', ''P. ×bretschneideri'', ''P. ×sinkiangensis'', and ''P. pashia.'' Other small-fruited species are frequently used as rootstocks for the cultivated species.
Etymology:
==Botany==
[[Image:PearLaFrance.jpg|right|thumb|Pear, "La France" (Japan)]]
Pears are native to coastal and mildly temperate regions of the [[Old World]], from western [[Europe]] and north [[Africa]] east right across [[Asia]]. They are medium sized trees, reaching 10–17 m tall, often with a tall, narrow crown; a few species are [[shrub]]by. The [[leaf|leaves]] are alternately arranged, simple, 2–12 cm long, glossy green on some species, densely silvery-hairy in some others; leaf shape varies from broad oval to narrow lanceolate. Most pears are [[deciduous]], but one or two species in southeast Asia are [[evergreen]]. Most are cold-hardy, withstanding temperatures between −25 °C and −40 °C in winter, except for the evergreen species, which only tolerate temperatures down to about −15 °C.
[[Image:PearBlossomsCalifornia.jpg|thumb|Pear blossoms]]
The [[flower]]s are white, rarely tinted yellow or pink, 2–4 cm diameter, and have five petals.<ref name="pearfruit">{{cite web|url= http://www.bouquetoffruits.com/fruit-facts/pear-facts.html
|title="Pear Fruit Facts Page Information", CE.CN|accessdate=2008-06-01}}</ref> Like that of the related [[apple]], the pear fruit is a [[pome]], in most wild species 1–4 cm diameter, but in some cultivated forms up to 18 cm long and 8 cm broad; the shape varies in most species from oblate or globose, to the classic pyriform '[[pear shaped|pear-shape]]' of the [[European Pear]] with an elongated basal portion and a bulbous end.
The pear is very similar to the [[apple]] in cultivation, [[Fruit tree propagation|propagation]] and [[Fruit tree pollination|pollination]].
There are about 30 primary species, major subspecies, and naturally occurring interspecific hybrid of pears.
===Major recognized taxa===
[[Image:2005pear_and_quince.PNG|300px|thumb|Pear and [[quince]] output in 2005]]
[[Image:CooperPear.jpg|right|thumb|Pear, still-life by Keaton Cooper]]
{|
|- valign=top
|
*''[[Pyrus amygdaliformis]]''—Almond-leafed Pear
*''[[Pyrus armeniacifolia]]''
*''[[Pyrus betulifolia]]''
*''[[Pyrus boissieriana]]''
*''[[Pyrus × bretschneideri]]''—Chinese white pear; also classified as a subspecies of ''Pyrus pyrifolia''
*''[[Callery Pear|Pyrus calleryana]]''—Callery Pear
*''[[European Pear|Pyrus communis]]''—European Pear (cultivars include [[d'Anjou|Beurre d'Anjou]], [[Williams pear|Bartlett]] and [[Bosc Pear|Beurre Bosc]])
*''Pyrus communis '' subsp. ''caucasica''
*''Pyrus communis'' subsp. ''pyraster''—Wild European Pear
*''[[Pyrus cordata]]''—Plymouth Pear
*''[[Pyrus cossonii]]''—Algerian Pear
*''[[Pyrus dimorphophylla]]''
*''[[Pyrus elaeagrifolia]]''—Oleaster-leafed Pear <!--[[tr:Pyrus elaeagrifolia]]-->
*''[[Pyrus fauriei]]''
*''[[Pyrus gharbiana]]''
*''[[Pyrus glabra]]''
*''Pyrus hondoensis''
*''[[Pyrus koehnei]]''—Evergreen pear of southern China and Taiwan
*''[[Pyrus korshinskyi]]''
*''[[Pyrus mamorensis]]''
*''[[Pyrus nivalis]]''—Snow Pear
*''[[Pyrus pashia]]''—Afghan Pear
*''[[Pyrus ×phaeocarpa]]''
*''[[Pyrus pseudopashia]]''
*''[[Nashi Pear|Pyrus pyrifolia]]''—Nashi Pear, Sha Li
*''[[Pyrus regelii]]''
*''[[Pyrus salicifolia]]''—Willow-leafed Pear
*''[[Pyrus × serrulata]]''
*''[[Pyrus × sinkiangensis]]''—thought to be an interspecific hybrid between ''P. ''×''bretschneideri'', ''Pyrus ussuriensis'' and ''Pyrus communis''
*''[[Pyrus syriaca]]''
*''[[Pyrus ussuriensis]]''—Siberian Pear
*''[[Pyrus xerophila]]''
|}
==Cultivation==
{{nutritionalvalue | name=Pear, raw | kJ=242 | protein=0.38 g | fat=0 g | carbs=15.46 g | fiber=3.1 g | | sugars=9.80 g | iron_mg=0.17 | calcium_mg=9 | magnesium_mg=7 | phosphorus_mg=11 | potassium_mg=119 | zinc_mg=0.10 | vitC_mg=4.2 | pantothenic_mg=0.048 | vitB6_mg=0.028 | folate_ug=7 | thiamin_mg=0.012 | riboflavin_mg=0.025 | niacin_mg=0.157 | right=1 | source_usda=1 }}
The pear may be readily raised by sowing the pips of ordinary cultivated or of wilding kinds, these forming what are known as free or pear stocks, on which the choicer varieties are [[Grafting|grafted]] for increase. For new varieties the flowers can be [[Cross-breeding|cross-bred]] to preserve or combine desirable traits. The fruit of the pear is produced on spurs, which appear on shoots more than one year old.{{Fact|date=December 2007}}
===Harvest===
Summer and autumn pears are gathered before they are fully ripe, while they are still green, but snap off when lifted. If left to ripen and turn yellow on the tree, the sugars will turn to starch crystals and the pear will have gritty texture inside. In the case of the 'Passe Crassane', long the favored winter pear in [[France]], the crop should be gathered at three different times, the first a fortnight or more before it is ripe, the second a week or ten days after that, and the third when fully ripe. The first gathering will come into eating latest, and thus the season of the fruit may be considerably prolonged.
===Diseases and pests===
{{Main|List of pear diseases}}
{{main|List of Lepidoptera that feed on pear trees}}
==Uses==
{{Unreferencedsection|date=December 2007}}
Three species account for the vast majority of edible fruit production, the [[European Pear]] ''Pyrus communis'' cultivated mainly in Europe and [[North America]], the Chinese white pear (bai li) ''Pyrus ×bretschneideri'', and the [[Nashi Pear]] ''Pyrus pyrifolia'' (also known as Asian Pear or Apple Pear), both grown mainly in eastern Asia. There are thousands of [[cultivar]]s of these three species. A species grown in western China, ''P. sinkiangensis'', and ''P. pashia'', grown in southern China and south Asia, are also produced to a lesser degree.
Other species are used as [[rootstock]]s for European and Asian pears and as [[ornamental plant|ornamental trees]]. The [[Siberian Pear]], ''Pyrus ussuriensis'' (which produces unpalatable fruit) has been crossed with ''Pyrus communis'' to breed hardier pear cultivars. The [[Callery Pear|Bradford Pear]] (''Pyrus calleryana'' 'Bradford') in particular has become widespread in North America and is used only as an ornamental tree. The [[Willow-leafed Pear]] (''Pyrus salicifolia'') is grown for its attractive slender, densely silvery-hairy leaves.
Pears are consumed fresh, canned, as [[juice]], and [[dried fruit|dried]]. The juice can also be used in [[Jelly (fruit preserves)|jellies]] and [[jam]]s, usually in combination with other fruits or berries. Fermented pear juice is called [[perry]].
Pears will [[ethylene|ripen faster]] if placed next to [[banana]]s in a fruit bowl. They stay fresh for longer if kept in a [[fridge]].
Pears are the least [[allergenic]] of all fruits. Along with [[domestic sheep|lamb]] and [[soya]] formula, pears form part of the strictest exclusion diet for allergy sufferers.
Pear [[wood]] is one of the preferred materials in the manufacture of high-quality [[woodwind]] instruments and [[furniture]].
It is also used for wood carving, and as a [[firewood]] to produce aromatic smoke for smoking meat or [[tobacco]].
.
<br />
==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}
==References==
{{1911}}
==External links==
{{Wiktionary}}
{{Commons2|Pears}}
{{Cookbook|Pear}}
* [http://www.usapears.com/pears/varieties.asp USA Pears]—descriptions of pear cultivars from a U.S. advocacy group.
* [http://www.uga.edu/fruit/pear.html University of Georgia Pear Page]—History of cultivation and commerce.
[[Category:Maloideae]]
[[Category:Pears| ]]
[[Category:Flora of Asia]]
[[Category:Flora of Europe]]
[[Category:Symbols of Oregon]]
[[Category:Fruit]]
[[Category:Pyrus|*]]
[[ar:كمثرى]]
[[zh-min-nan:Lâi-á]]
[[bs:Kruška]]
[[bg:Круша]]
[[ca:Perera]]
[[cs:Hruška]]
[[cy:Gellygen]]
[[da:Pære]]
[[de:Birnen]]
[[et:Pirnipuu]]
[[el:Αχλαδιά]]
[[es:Pyrus]]
[[eo:Piro]]
[[eu:Madariondo]]
[[fa:گلابی]]
[[fr:Poire]]
[[fur:Piruçâr]]
[[gl:Pereira]]
[[hsb:Krušwina]]
[[hr:Kruške]]
[[it:Pera]]
[[he:אגס]]
[[la:Pyrus]]
[[lb:Bir]]
[[lt:Kriaušė]]
[[hu:Körte]]
[[nl:Peer (vrucht)]]
[[ja:ナシ属]]
[[nrm:Peire]]
[[oc:Pera]]
[[pl:Grusza]]
[[pt:Pêra]]
[[qu:Pira]]
[[ru:Груша]]
[[simple:Pear]]
[[sr:Крушка]]
[[fi:Päärynä]]
[[sv:Päronsläktet]]
[[th:สาลี่]]
[[tr:Armut]]
[[wa:Poere]]
[[zh-yue:梨]]
[[bat-smg:Grūšė]]
[[zh:梨]]