Birch-Leaved Pear Tree – Pyrus betulaefolia
Birch-leaved Pear, from planting, is 24 years old
The cultivation of the pear extends to the remotest antiquity. Traces of it have been found in the Swiss lake-dwellings; it is mentioned in the oldest Greek writings, and was cultivated by the Romans.
The three minor noble hardwood species are important from an ecological as well as from an economical point of view. They are growing in mixed hardwood forests, often at the margins of forest stands due to competition for light. In mixed hardwood stands with beech as a major component thinning usually favours the minor Noble Hardwood species in order to prevent heavy competition and to reach sufficient size for an economically interesting utilization.
Birch-leaved Pear, Morton Arboretum acc. 38-85-2, photos by Bruce Marlin
