What Is a Flowering Pear?

A flowering pear is a type tree that usually thrives during the end of winter and throughout springtime. This tree belongs to the genus Pyrus of trees, but also has many species varieties. The tree is said to be deciduous, meaning that its leaves and blossoms fall out when they are mature already. Unlike a typical pear fruit tree, a flowering pear tree does not produce fruits, but is usually planted for ornamental and landscaping purposes.

A feature of a flowering pear is its cream or white flowers that cover the whole tree when in full bloom. The tree can also grow as tall as 40 feet (12 m), or even more than 50 feet (15 m). Its branches, along with its leaves and blossoms, usually grow in a more upright manner than sideways, very much like pine trees. This makes for less planting space if one chooses to plant the trees in a row.

One variety of the flowering pear is the Bradford pear. During the autumn, its usually green leaves will turn yellowish, then go back to their original green come springtime. This species produces the white flowers, along with tiny fruits that birds can pick at, but that are inedible to humans. One drawback of the Bradford pear is its fragile trunk that can easily break during strong winds or heavy foliage. The Callery pear is fairly easy to maintain because it can be planted on any type of soil.

Another variety is the Chanticleer pear, sometimes known as the Cleveland pear. The leaves of this tree turn purple or red when wintertime comes and also produce white flowers during springtime, often in bunches. The trunk of this flowering pear is stronger than that of the Bradford and has a conical shape. Another variant called the Aristocrat grows rather wide, creating the shape of a pyramid and providing more shade.

The Weeping Willow-leafed pear tree is the variety that produces silver-white leaves that eventually turn green, but still carry silver undertones. What makes this flowering pear variant especially striking is that its flowers bloom roughly at the same time the white leaves appear, making the tree look like it only blooms white foliage. Compared to other variants, the Weeping Willow-leafed tree is shorter, with just an average height of 15 feet (4.5 m).

A flowering pear variant more known for its warm colors than its white flowers is the Autumn Blaze pear tree. Its leaves turn red during the fall, changing progressively to fiery colors of maroon and burgundy. The Autumn Blaze also has a sturdy trunk and can withstand the cold during wintertime. It can also grow as tall as 30 feet (9 m), with its branches growing broadly.