The Bradford pear tree is an ornamental tree usually used in landscaping. It is considered a good "street tree" because of its ability to withstand traffic fumes and other pollution. The fruits it produces are inedible.
Bradford pear is known botanically as a cultivar of Pyrus calleryana. It is sometimes called Callery pear.
The tree grows up to 40 feet tall and forms a pyramid shape upon maturity. Its leaves reach 2 to 3 inches in length and are shiny with a pronounced center vein. Before its foliage emerges in the spring, the Bradford pear produces lovely white flowers, which unfortunately smell rank. Its nonedible fruits are a 1/2-inch in diameter and greenish brown.
Pyrus calleryana trees are native to China and Korea. In the 1960s the U.S. Department of Agriculture allowed the "Bradford" cultivar to be sold commercially. It was named in honor of the horticulturalist F. C. Bradford, who helped develop Pyrus calleryana seeds from China into the cultivar eventually introduced to the Western hemisphere. Since then, city planners and homeowners alike have made use of the handsome ornamental.
Some Bradford pear cultivars are invasive in the eastern United States. Homeowners may find the trees too fragile; limbs and even parts of the trunk break easily during storms. Many people find the smell of the tree during flowering season unpleasant.
Other ornamental pear cultivars include "Cleveland Select." Ornamental plum and flowering crabapple possess similar advantages to the Bradford pear, but aren't as fragile.
- Photo Credit Bradford pear bloom image by k9dg from Fotolia.com
Types of Flowering Pear Trees
Flowering pear trees are also known as ornamental pear trees because they do not produce fruit. These trees are called Pyrus Calleryana...
A Comparison of Bradford and Cleveland Pear Trees
Native to Korea and Japan, the ornamental pear tree (Pyrus calleryana) is one of the most favored ornamental trees among homeowners and...
Tree Blossoms That Look Like the Pink Magnolia Tree
The magnolia tree belongs to a large genus of about 210 flowering-plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae. Magnolia...
When to Trim Bradford Pear Trees
Carefully pruning and shaping a decorative Bradford pear tree helps reduce problems with splitting limbs as it matures.