Re: That inedible Pear
Trevor wrote:
>I wonder from the description given if the fruit might be a
>perry pear, the kind of pear used since the Middle Ages
>to make perry - the pear equivalent of cider. People in
>the UK and France might be able to comment. My
>experience is very limited but the trees, real pears, are
>very large, tall trees and the fruits though hard and
>fibrous are real pears.
Well the true one and I believe the type originally used down here in
the West Country to make a cider-like drink is Pyrus communis.
Typically, it develops into a deciduous, moderate sized, somewhat
columnar tree to 40 feet or more. Large clusters of purple anthered
white flowers in late March/mid April are followed by small, hard
fibrous, brownish green 'pears' to no more than 2" long. These fruits
are totally inedible unless softened by hard frost (bletted) in a
similar way to those of the Medlar - Mespilus germanica. It is
widespread throughout much of England, Wales and northern France, but
is rare in Ireland and Scotland.
There is also the rarer 'Plymouth pear' - Pyrus cordata which tends to
be suckering, more shrub like and armed with thorns especially on its
lower branches. It is smaller in all of its parts flowering in May,
with more rounded leaves and fruit more similar to those the White
Beam - Sorbus aria indicating the strong familial link with that
genus. These are not capped with sepals as in the previous species
and are rather berry like in appearance. It is a 'hedge-row' shrub
rarely growing to more than about 12 feet at the very most and has
always been scarce being found in only a few locations close to
Plymouth, South Devon. I'm not sure about its distribution over in
Europe, but I understand it does occur in Brittany.
Dave Poole
TORQUAY UK
http://www.ilsham.demon.co.uk/gardenviews.html
