Search Fact Sheets Virginia Tech Dendrology

common pear Rosaceae Pyrus communis L. Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: PYCO
Leaf: Alternate, simple, ovate with a finely serrated margin, 1 to 4 inches in length, shiny green above, paler and dull below.
Flower: Clusters of showy white flowers (each 1/2 to 3/4 inch across) appearing before or with the leaves.
Fruit: A large edible pome (3 to 4 inches), pear-shaped.
Twig: Glossy brown to reddish brown, medium in texture, spur shoots present; terminal buds are medium in size (less than 1/4 inch), conical to dome shaped, and may be lightly hairy.
Bark: Gray-brown to reddish brown, becoming grayish brown with shallow furrows and flat-topped scaly ridges.
Form: Typically quite upright and conical with very narrow branch angles.
 Looks like: Callery pear - apple

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Additional Range Information: Pyrus communis is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and may seed into the landscape. Download the full-size PDF map.
More Information: Fall Color
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information