By Steve Taylor
Every spring, we are greeted with streets lined with beautiful clouds of white flowers, Bradford pears. The perfect street tree: hardy, pollution tolerant, small and self-sterile (seedless). Bradford pear was introduced as an ornamental tree by the US Department of Agriculture in 1964. It was a selection from a species of pear (Pyrus calleryana, aka Callery pear) native to China and Vietnam. The perfect tree. Well, like many human endeavors, it seemed like a good idea at the time, but…
In order to grow a single variety, nurserymen grafted the Bradford pear cuttings onto Pyrus calleryana seedlings. Sometimes sprouts from the rootstocks grew and flowered beside the Bradford pear and they cross-pollenated to produce viable seeds. This perfect tree also had a major flaw; the branches surround the trunk so that as they grow their connection to the trunk weakens. One good windstorm and a branch breaks free, and then another, and another, and then the whole top snaps off. Life expectancy 15 to 20 years. What to do? Breed a better variety. Now we have two closely related pears lining our streets and guess what? They cross pollenate to produce viable seeds, and fruit that birds love. And the seedlings will pollenate each other. A perfect storm. The next time you drive down Nurko Road, take a left on Parkside Way and see what a wild stand looks like after about 6 years.
And, the seedlings are really tough. In the 1943 book, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith used the Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) as its central metaphor for its ability to thrive in a difficult environment. Today, she could have just as well used the Bradford pear. Concrete is no deterrent.
Wild Pears – intersection across from the former CornerCopia
There is one saving grace for the Bradford pear. Its wood is hard and fine-textured, great for woodturning. You will have plenty when the wind finally destroys your tree, and it will. Serviceberry (Amelanchier sp.) and Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) are better choices; please consider them.
References:
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/average-lifespan-flowering-pear-tree-60463.html
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/life/2016/03/21/curse-bradford-pear/82070210/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrus_calleryana
https://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/pyca.htm
Every spring, we are greeted with streets lined with beautiful clouds of white flowers, Bradford pears. The perfect street tree: hardy, pollution tolerant, small and self-sterile (seedless). Bradford pear was introduced as an ornamental tree by the US Department of Agriculture in 1964. It was a selection from a species of pear (Pyrus calleryana, aka Callery pear) native to China and Vietnam. The perfect tree. Well, like many human endeavors, it seemed like a good idea at the time, but…
In order to grow a single variety, nurserymen grafted the Bradford pear cuttings onto Pyrus calleryana seedlings. Sometimes sprouts from the rootstocks grew and flowered beside the Bradford pear and they cross-pollenated to produce viable seeds. This perfect tree also had a major flaw; the branches surround the trunk so that as they grow their connection to the trunk weakens. One good windstorm and a branch breaks free, and then another, and another, and then the whole top snaps off. Life expectancy 15 to 20 years. What to do? Breed a better variety. Now we have two closely related pears lining our streets and guess what? They cross pollenate to produce viable seeds, and fruit that birds love. And the seedlings will pollenate each other. A perfect storm. The next time you drive down Nurko Road, take a left on Parkside Way and see what a wild stand looks like after about 6 years.
And, the seedlings are really tough. In the 1943 book, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith used the Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) as its central metaphor for its ability to thrive in a difficult environment. Today, she could have just as well used the Bradford pear. Concrete is no deterrent.
Wild Pears – intersection across from the former CornerCopia
There is one saving grace for the Bradford pear. Its wood is hard and fine-textured, great for woodturning. You will have plenty when the wind finally destroys your tree, and it will. Serviceberry (Amelanchier sp.) and Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) are better choices; please consider them.
References:
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/average-lifespan-flowering-pear-tree-60463.html
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/life/2016/03/21/curse-bradford-pear/82070210/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrus_calleryana
https://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/pyca.htm