Pears

Pears
	Cultivated Pear ( Pyrus communis )
Systematics
Order :	Rose-like (rosales)
Family :	Rose family (Rosaceae)
Subfamily :	Spiraeoideae
Tribe :	Pyreae
Sub tribus :	Pome fruit family (Pyrinae)
Genre :	Pears
Scientific name
	Pyrus
	L.

The pear ( Pyrus ) form a genus belonging to the pome fruit crops (Pyrinae) in the family of the rose family belongs (Rosaceae).

etymology

The very old loan word "pear" ( ahd . Bira , mhd . Bir , also bire ) is derived from the Latin pirum , which, like the related Greek name ἄπιον ápion, was borrowed from a Mediterranean language before Indo-European . The scientific spelling Pyrus (formerly also Pirus ) goes back to a folk etymology that connects the word with the Greek πύρ pýr “fire” .

description

Pyrus communis

Vegetative characteristics

Pears are mostly deciduous, rarely semi-evergreen , medium-sized 15–20 meter high trees or rarely three to five meter high bushes . Some species form thorns. The scales of the winter buds are arranged like roof tiles. The round, egg-shaped to lanceolate or elliptical, pointed to pointed or pointed, firm, leathery leaves are arranged alternately on the branches and are divided into petioles and leaf blades. The simple, undivided leaf blade has a size of (2–) 5–9 (–12) cm, is (finely) serrated, notched or with entire margins, rarely also lobed. In the buds, the leaves are evenly rolled up on both sides (involute). In autumn, the leaves usually turn red to scarlet. Stipules are present.

Generative characteristics

The flowers appear in front of the foliage leaves or together with them in umbelliferous to racemose inflorescences . There is a flower stalk.

The hermaphroditic flowers are radial symmetry and five-fold with a double flower envelope (perianth). The flower cups (hypanthium) are cup-shaped. The five sepals are usually bent back or spread out, triangular, short and persistent or lapsed. The five white or more rarely reddish colored petals are rounded to broadly elongated and nailed. There are rarely from 10, mostly 15 to 30 stamens . The anthers are mostly dark red to purple in color. The two to five styles are free. The mostly five, rarely two, three or four carpels below are connected to each other inside at the base and almost completely fused with the flower cup on the back. There are two ovules arranged in pairs on each carpel .

The smooth-skinned false fruits are usually pear-shaped , and rarely egg-shaped (in the bergamots ) also rounded. They are 2.5 to 6 centimeters in length. In the case of cultivated forms they can also be much larger, in the case of Asian forms they can be smaller. The fruit compartments have parchment-like to cartilage-like walls. In the pulp there are numerous semolina-like groups of "stone cells", but these can also be missing. The roughly two to ten seeds per fruit are black or almost black.

The chromosome number is 2n = 34

Section through a bud
inflorescence
Pear blossom with bee
Pear blossom in detail

Pyrus calleryana

Pyrus elaeagrifolia

Pyrus pashia

Wild pear ( pyrus pyraster )

Nashi ( Pyrus pyrifolia )

Willow-leaved pear ( Pyrus salicifolia )

Pyrus spinosa

Systematics and distribution

The generic name Pyrus was published by Carl von Linné in Species Plantarum in 1753 . The type species is Pyrus communis L. The genus Pyrus is divided into two sections: Pashia and Pyrus .

The distribution area of the genus Pyrus includes North Africa, Europe (excluding Northern Europe) and West Asia via Persia and the Himalayas to East Asia and Japan. There are about 14 species in Asia, eight of them only in China.

There are around 25 to 28 species of Pyrus :

Pyrus armeniacifolia T.T.Yu : This endemic occurs only in Tacheng Xian, northern Xinjiang .
Austrian pear ( Pyrus austriaca A. Kern. )
Pyrus autumnalis Koidz.
Pyrus betulifolia Bunge : It is common in Laos , Tibet , Inner Mongolia and the Chinese provinces: Anhui , Gansu , Guizhou , Hebei , Henan , Hubei , Jiangsu , Jiangxi , Liaoning , Shaanxi , Shandong , Shanxi and Zhejiang .
Pyrus boissieriana Buhse : It occurs in Azerbaijan , Turkmenistan and Iran .
Pyrus bretschneideri Rehder : It thrives on slopes in dry, cold areas at altitudes of 100 to 2000 meters in Xinjiang and in the Chinese provinces of Gansu, Hebei, Henan, Shaanxi, Shandong and Shanxi. Some varieties are grown in China.
Pyrus calleryana Decne. : Several varieties are common in China, Korea , Taiwan and Vietnam . She is a neophyte in North America.
Pyrus × canescens Spach = Pyrus × nivalis Jacq. × Pyrus salicifolia Pall.
Cultivated pear ( Pyrus communis L. , Syn .: Pyrus asiae-mediae Popov , Pyrus balansae Decne. , Pyrus bourgaeana Decne. , Pyrus caucasica Fed. , Pyrus communis subsp. Bourgaeana (Decne.) Nyman , Pyrus communis var. Mariana Willk . , Pyrus domestica Medik. , Pyrus elata Rubtzov , Pyrus medvedevii Rubtzov )

Pyrus cordata Desv. : It occurs in Portugal , Spain , France and England .

Pyrus cossonii Rehder : It occurs only in Algeria .

Pyrus crenata Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don

Pyrus dimorphophylla Makino : It occurs in Japan .

Pyrus elaeagrifolia Pall. : It occurs in three subspecies in Albania , Bulgaria , Greece , Romania , Crimea and Turkey .

Pyrus fauriei C.K. Schneid. : It occurs only in southern Korea.

Pyrus gharbiana trotting. : It occurs in Morocco and Algeria.

Pyrus glabra Boiss. : It occurs in Iran.

Pyrus hondoensis Nakai & Kikuchi : It occurs in Japan.

Pyrus hopeiensis T.T.Yu : It thrives on slopes at altitudes of 100 to 800 meters in the Chinese provinces of Hebei and Shandong.

Pyrus koehnei C.K. Schneid. (Syn .: Pyrus calleryana var. Koehnei (CKSchneid.) TTYu ): It has been considered a separate species again since 2009 and occurs in the Chinese provinces of Fujian , Guangdong, Guangxi and Zhejiang.

Pyrus korshinskyi Litv. : It occurs in Afghanistan , Uzbekistan , Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan .

Pyrus × lecontei Rehder = Pyrus communis × Pyrus pyrifolia , Syn .: sage leaf pear ( Pyrus salviifolia DC. )

Pyrus mamorensis trot. : It occurs in Morocco.

Pyrus maximowicziana Nakai

Pyrus × michauxii Bosc ex Poir. = Pyrus × nivalis × Pyrus spinosa

Snow pear or leather pear ( Pyrus × nivalis Jacq. = Pyrus communis × Pyrus elaeagrifolia , Syn .: sage leaf pear ( Pyrus salviifolia DC. )): It occurs in France, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Crimea and Turkey.

Austrian pear ( Pyrus austriaca )

Pyrus pashia Buchanan-Hamilton ex D.Don (Syn .: Pyrus kumaoni Decne. Ex Hook. F. , Pyrus nepalensis hort ex Decne. , Pyrus pashia var. Kumaoni (Decne. Ex Hook. F.) Stapf , Pyrus variolosa Wall. ex Brandis ): It thrives in the Himalayas and adjacent areas from Kashmir to Bhutan , Assam , Burma and in the western People's Republic of China .

Pyrus phaeocarpa Rehder : The home is at altitudes between 100 and 1200 meters in the Chinese provinces of Gansu, Hebei, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi and Xinjiang.

Pyrus pseudopashia T.T.Yu : It thrives at altitudes of 500 to 3000 meters in the Chinese provinces of Guizhou and Yunnan.

Wild pear or wood pear ( Pyrus pyraster (L.) Burgsd. , Syn. Pyrus communis L. subsp. Pyraster (L.) Ehrh. , Pyrus communis var. Pyraster L. ): It occurs in Europe and Turkey.

Nashi ( Pyrus pyrifolia (Burm. F.) Nakai , Syn .: Pyrus sinensis Nakai , Pyrus sinensis L.H.Bailey , Pyrus sinensis var. Culta Makino ): It occurs in China, Vietnam and Laos and is a neophyte in Japan.

Pyrus Regelii Rehder : It occurs in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Xinjiang .

Pyrus sachokiana Kuth. : It only occurs in Georgia .

Willow-leaved pear ( Pyrus salicifolia Pall. ): It is found in Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran.

Pyrus serrulata Rehder : It thrives at altitudes of 100 to 1600 meters in the Chinese provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan and Zhejiang.

Pyrus sinkiangensis T.T.Yu : It thrives at altitudes of 200 to 1100 meters in the Chinese autonomous region of Xinjiang. This species is also grown in Gansu, Qinghai and Shaanxi.

Pyrus spinosa Forssk. (Syn .: Pyrus amygdaliformis Vill. , Pyrus persica Pers. ): It occurs in Spain, France, Italy , on the Balkan Peninsula and in Turkey.

Pyrus syriaca Boiss. : It occurs in Turkey, Armenia , Syria, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan , Iraq, Iran and Cyprus .

Pyrus sohayakiensis Koidz.

Pyrus taiwanensis Iketani & Ohashi : The home is Taiwan.

Pyrus turcomanica Maleev : It occurs in Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Pyrus ussuriensis Maxim. (Syn .: Pyrus sinensis Decne. Non Lind. ): It occurs in China, Korea, Japan and in Russia's Far East .

Pyrus xerophila T.T.Yu : It thrives at altitudes of 500 to 2000 meters in Tibet, Xinjiang and in the Chinese provinces of Gansu, Henan, Shaanxi and Shanxi.

There are some generic hybrids , e.g. B. × Sorbopyrus (see Bollweiler pear ).

use

Pear trees are planted both for fruit growing (cultivated pears) and for ornamentation (flowers, fruits). The varieties of Pyrus communis are important for European fruit production, whereas in Asia it is the varieties of Pyrus pyrifolia .

history

Pears are a cultural companion, Homer already reported on them. Later research found that the pear tree was also worshiped as a sacred tree by the Babylonians. Very quickly, people have many kinds of pear varieties grown . Theophrast mentions three, Cato five to six and Pliny mentions at least 38 kinds of pear. In the 17th century there were around 300 varieties in France , in the 19th century there were already 1,000. The current number of varieties in the Old and New World is estimated at 5000.

fruit

use

The fruits of pears can be consumed raw as fruit , dried to obtain dried fruit , used as an ingredient in cooking or juiced. The fruits are also widely used to make pear cabbage or fruit brandies . To extend the storage period, pears that are brought on the market are usually picked before they are about to fully ripen. They are then stored in a cool place until they are sold and ripen in the process. The pear is one of the climacteric fruits .

Although there are very many types of pear, only varieties are available in stores that have proven to be more robust than wild pears during storage . Wild pears are very susceptible to rot .

Pears on the tree
Pear half of the ' Williams Christ ' variety
Four fruits of different types
Pears as dried fruit ( Kletzen )
A Williams Christ pear in a fruit brandy bottle (Northern Croatia )
Pear and ginger cake

Economical meaning

In 2018, 23.7 million tons of pears were produced worldwide. Europe produced 3.05 million t in the same period. The largest producers were Italy, Belgium and France.

The following table gives an overview of the 10 largest producers of pears worldwide, who produced a total of 86.1% of the harvest. China alone harvested more than two thirds of all pears. The harvest quantities in Austria, Switzerland and Germany are given for information.

Largest pear producers (2018)
rank	country	Quantity (in t )
1	China People's Republic People's Republic of China	16,078,000
2	United States United States	730.740
3	Italy Italy	716.821
4th	Argentina Argentina	565,697
5	Turkey Turkey	519.451
6th	Netherlands Netherlands	402,000
7th	South Africa South Africa	397,555
8th	Belgium Belgium	369.506
9	Spain Spain	332.319
10	India India	318,000
...
21st	Austria Austria	111,336
32	Germany Germany	47,644
34	Switzerland Switzerland	36,643
	world	23,733,772

Wood

Due to its color, density and good polishability, pear wood is in great demand in furniture construction. It is hard, heavy, tough and not very elastic with an average density of 0.74 g / cm³ (see LWF report no. 23). Pear wood dries slowly and without major cracking, it is very dimensionally stable when dry. This stability is related to the so-called stone cells that both the pear as a fruit and the wood have. These are cells intertwined in a felt-like manner.
The calorific value of pear wood is slightly lower than that of beech wood, although both woods are very similar in density. The wood is very fine, dense and has hardly any annual rings, pores can only be seen with the naked eye in cross-section. The pear tree tends to develop facultative nuclei with age, which manifests itself in violet-brown to black-brown color gradients in the center of the trunk. When steaming , the natural color of the wood changes from a very light silver-gray to light yellow to a warm, reddish shade. With age it gets a very nice red-brown, amber-like color. This color is actually the only distinguishing feature for the naked eye from the so-called " Swiss pear tree ", which is a trade name for various trees of the whitebeam genus ( Sorbus ).

In spite of its hardness, pear tree is very suitable for carving the finest details, due to the stone cells it can be worked in different directions without tearing. There is even the “Mostpirnenschnitzer”, a representative of an ancient craft. He carved baking molds or, earlier, printing blocks or letters out of wood. Old wooden models are carved from pear wood, as they are used for Springerle .

Black stained pear wood was used in cabinet making as a substitute for the rarer and more expensive ebony because it can be stained very well. In this colored form it was also often referred to as "German Ebony".

literature

F. Jahn, Ed. Lucas, JGC Oberdieck : Illustrirtes Handbuch der Obstkunde. Second volume: pears , Stuttgart 1860, online .

Gu Cuizhi, Stephen A. Spongberg: Pyrus. In: Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven, Deyuan Hong (Eds.): Flora of China . Volume 9: Pittosporaceae through Connaraceae . Science Press / Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing / St. Louis 2003, ISBN 1-930723-14-8 , pp. 173 (English). PDF file online (sections description and systematics).

Herfried Kutzelnigg: Pyrus . In: Hildemar Scholz (Hrsg.): Illustrated flora of Central Europe . Founded by Gustav Hegi. 2nd completely revised and expanded edition. Volume IV Part 2B: Spermatophyta: Angiospermae: Dicotyledones 2 (3) (Rosaceae, 2nd part) . Blackwell, Berlin / Vienna a. a. 1995, ISBN 3-8263-2533-8 . (Sections Description and Distribution).

Pyrus in the Flora of North America, Vol. 9, accessed January 16, 2018.

Asghar Zamani, Farideh Attar, Hosein Maroofi: A synopsis of the genus Pyrus (Rosaceae) in Iran. In: Nordic Journal of Botany. Volume 30, No. 3, 2012, pp. 310-332 DOI: 10.1111 / j.1756-1051.2012.00989.x .

Individual evidence

^ Frisk, Greek Etymological Dictionary and Oxford English Dictionary .

↑ Carl von Linné: Species Plantarum. Volume 1, Impensis Laurentii Salvii, Holmiae 1753, p. 479, digitized .

↑ Herfried Kutzelnigg: Pyrus . In: Hildemar Scholz (Hrsg.): Illustrated flora of Central Europe . Founded by Gustav Hegi. 2nd completely revised and expanded edition. Volume IV Part 2B: Spermatophyta: Angiospermae: Dicotyledones 2 (3) (Rosaceae, 2nd part) . Blackwell, Berlin / Vienna a. a. 1995, ISBN 3-8263-2533-8 .

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Gu Cuizhi, Stephen A. Spongberg: Pyrus. In: Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven, Deyuan Hong (Eds.): Flora of China . Volume 9: Pittosporaceae through Connaraceae . Science Press / Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing / St. Louis 2003, ISBN 1-930723-14-8 , pp. 173 (English). PDF file online.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x Pyrus in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
^ ^A ^b Crops> Pears. In: FAO production statistics for 2018. fao.org, accessed on February 18, 2019 .

Web links

Commons : Pears - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Wiktionary: Pear - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Pear varieties - Public pear database of the fruit growing test facility St. Andrä / Carinthia.

Map with all linked sites: OSM | WikiMap

[Etymologie-1] Frisk, Greek Etymological Dictionary and Oxford English Dictionary .

[SpPl-2] Carl von Linné: Species Plantarum. Volume 1, Impensis Laurentii Salvii, Holmiae 1753, p. 479, digitized .

[Hegi-3] Herfried Kutzelnigg: Pyrus . In: Hildemar Scholz (Hrsg.): Illustrated flora of Central Europe . Founded by Gustav Hegi. 2nd completely revised and expanded edition. Volume IV Part 2B: Spermatophyta: Angiospermae: Dicotyledones 2 (3) (Rosaceae, 2nd part) . Blackwell, Berlin / Vienna a. a. 1995, ISBN 3-8263-2533-8 .