Pyrus communis

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Distribution Map: Based on vouchered plant specimens only. View county names by placing the mouse cursor over a particular county.

Family:ROSACEAE
Species:Pyrus communis L.
Common Name:Common Pear
Habitat:**
Associated Ecological Communities:**
Growth Habit:Tree
Duration:Perennial
Category:Vascular
USDA Symbol:PYCO
Plant Notes:Common Pear is an introduced deciduous tree in the Rosa family (Rosaceae). It is native to Eurasia. In Alabama it can be found statewide. Common Pear occurs around old home sites, in pastures, along fence rows, and in urban woodlands. It is a small to medium sized tree reaching heights of 20-60 feet. The bark is grayish brown and occurs in long vertical plates. Short side shoots are often thorn tipped. Leaves are petiolate, alternate, ovate to elliptic in outline, slightly pubescent (especially when young), and with serrate to crenate or rarely entire margins. The leaf margins are usually densely ciliate when young. The leaves turn yellow or golden before falling in the autumn. Flowers occur in 4-9 flowered umbel-like racemes or corymbs. Each flower has 5 white petals and 3-5 styles. The fruit is a globose or pyriform pome that is green, yellow, or reddish in color. Common Pear is widely cultivated for its edible fruit. It is of hybrid origin involving multiple species, and over 1,000 cultivars have been developed.—A. Diamond
Taxonomic Notes:**
Status:Not Native
References:**
Specimen: View specimen details in the Alabama Herbarium Consortium Specimen Database

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

FamilyROSACEAE - Rose family
Genus Pyrus
Species Pyrus communis L. - Common Pear

Citation

Citation Pyrus communis Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 479. 1753.
Basionym: **
Type: Without data (lectotype: LINN 647.1). Lectotypified by Amaral Franco & Rocha Alfonso, Rev. Fac. Ci. Univ. Lisboa, Sér. 2, C, Ci. Nat. 13: 177. 1965.

** Not applicable or data not available.

Synonyms

SynonymFull CitationBasionymType
Pyrus achras Pyrus achras Gaertner, Fruct. Sem. Pl. 2: 44. 1791    
Pyrus communis var. achras Pyrus communis Linnaeus, var. achras (Gaertner) Wallroth, Sched. Crit. 1: 213. 1822.Pyrus achras Gaertner 1791. 
Pyrus communis var. pyraster Pyrus communis Linnaeus, var. pyraster Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 479. 1753.  
Pyrus communis var. pyraster Pyrus communis Linnaeus, var. pyraster Wallroth, Sched. Crit. 1: 213. 1822, non Linnnaeus 1753.  
Pyrus communis var. sylvestris Pyrus communis Linnaeus, var. sylvestris de Candolle, in de Candolle & Lamarck, Fl. Franc. 4: 430. 1815, nom. inadmiss.Pyrus communis Linnaeus 1753. 
Pyrus communis var. volema Pyrus communis Linnaeus, var. volema Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 479. 1753. Without data (lectotype: Bauhin & Cherler, Hist. Pl. 1: "Pyra dorsalia eademque Libralia dicta". 1650). Lectotypified by Aldasoro & Aedo, in Cafferty & C. E. Jarvis, Taxon 51: 543. 2002.
Pyrus pyraster Pyrus pyraster (Linnaeus) Borkhausen, Theor. Prakt. Handb. Forstbot. 2: 1287. 1803.Pyrus communis Linnaeus, var. pyraster Linnaeus 1753. 
Pyrus sylvestris Pyrus sylvestris Moench, Methodus 679. 1794, nom. illegit.Pyrus communis Linnaeus 1753. 
Sorbus pyrus Sorbus pyrus Crantz, Stirp. Austr. Fasc. 2: 56. 1763, nom. illegit.Pyrus communis Linnaeus 1753. 

Specimens and Distribution

This species has been reported in the following counties by the herbaria listed. An overview of the individual specimens are provided in the table that follows. Click on the accession number to view details; click on column headers to sort; choose a county or herbaria to filter the specimen data.

Counties included on distribution map: Autauga, Baldwin, Bibb, Bullock, Butler, Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Colbert, Coosa, Dale, DeKalb, Etowah, Hale, Houston, Jefferson, Limestone, Marengo, Marion, Marshall, Mobile, Montgomery, Morgan, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Washington

Counties represented by specimen data listed below:

Herbaria represented by specimen data listed below: ALNHS, AUA, JSU, TROY, UNA, USAM, UWAL

Range of years during which specimens were collected: 1966 - 1994

Barcode / Accession No.
County
Coll. Date
Collector &
Collection No.
Herbarium &
Herbarium Name Used
Image
UNA00015641 Autauga 18 Mar 1966 Tucker, Charles E.
62		 UNA
Pyrus communis L.
UWAL0046785 Autauga 14 Feb 2017 Parker, Matthew R.
351		 UWAL
Pyrus communis Linnaeus
TROY000044764 Autauga 14 Feb 2017 Parker, Matthew R.
351		 TROY
Pyrus communis Linnaeus
USAM000013817 Baldwin 18 Mar 1968 LeLong, Michel G.
4222		 USAM
Pyrus communis Linnaeus
TROY000022875 Bibb 05 Jan 1991 Tucker, Bernie
19		 TROY
Pyrus communis Linnaeus
UWAL0014226 Bullock 28 Mar 2013 Dykes, Bailee
1539		 UWAL
Pyrus communis Linnaeus
TROY000038633 Bullock 28 Mar 2013 Dykes, Bailee
1539		 TROY
Pyrus communis Linnaeus
UNA00066659 Butler 20 Mar 2007 Diamond, Alvin R.
17328		 UNA
Pyrus communis L.
UWAL0003838 Butler 20 Mar 2007 Diamond, Alvin R.
17328		 UWAL
Pyrus communis L.
TROY000008467 Butler 20 Mar 2007 Diamond, Alvin R.
17328		 TROY
Pyrus communis Linnaeus
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