Callery Pear Pyrus calleryana

This plant is problematic, and alternatives should be considered.  Please see the suggestions in the left-hand column or see this video created by Charlotte Glen as part of the Plants, Pests, and Pathogens series.

Callery pear is a large, dense, pyramidal, woody, broadleaf, deciduous tree in the rose family (Rosaceae) that was introduced from Asia and is invasive in North Carolina, as well as in other southeastern United States. The genus name, Pyrus, is Latin for pear. The epithet, calleryanna, is in honor of Joseph M. M. Callery, an Italian who was a missionary to China and botanical collector.

The Callery pear is one of the first trees to bloom in the spring and is covered with white flowers that have an objectionable, foul smell. The branches grow at upright angles with weak crotches that break with age, wind and ice. Pruning is required to improve strength and structure of the tree. It  grows up to 50 feet tall and 20 to 35 feet wide and reproduces by seed. It was commonly employed in residential and commercial developments for its rapid growth and tolerance of urban conditions, though it is relatively short lived and can be very thorny.  

 Fruit is non-ornamental and hidden by the foliage. The most notable cultivar is the 'Bradford Pear.' It has strongly ascending branches and is narrower than typical selections of Callery pear. It also develops tight crotches that are likely to be split in half by heavy wind and rainstorms. 

When a ‘Bradford Pear’ cross-pollinates with other trees, it reverts back to the invasive species Callery pear. Therefore, it is advisable to select an alternative native flowering shade tree such as the Eastern redbud, flowering dogwood, common serviceberry or American plum for the home landscape.

Quick ID Hints:

• The bark is light to reddish brown or light gray, smooth, ridged and furrowed with age with tight crotches; young bark may have horizontal elongated lenticels.
• The twigs are stout, initially white pubescent, and mature to a smooth, shiny brown; branches maybe tipped with a thorn.
• The buds are elongate, wooly and gray-pubescent.
• The leaves are dark green on the upper surface and pale beneath, glabrous, alternate, simple, ovate and glossy with crenate and wavy margins.
• The bloom is creamy white, 0.75 to 1-inch wide, five petaled, showy and malodorous, and arranged in a dense corymb or cyme. 
• Fruits are yellowish green to brown, round and 0.5 to 1-inch in diameter.

Insects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems:  It can be affected by fire blight, which can spread to other Rosaceous crops (like pears, apples, and loquat). Potential insect pests may include aphids, scales or borers. 

VIDEO Created by Homegrown featuring Jeana Myers, Horticulture Extension Agent for NC State Extension