Plymouth pear (Pyrus boissieriana)
Description
Pyrus cordata, the Plymouth pear, is a rare wild species of pear belonging to the family Rosaceae. It gets its name from the city of Plymouth in Devon, where it was originally found in 1870. The Plymouth pear was one the British trees to be funded under English Natures Species Recovery Programme. Pyrus cordata is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing up to 10 metres in height. It is hardy and is not frost tender, but its ability to bear fruit and thus seed is dependent upon favourable weather conditions. It is in flower from April to May. The flowers are hermaphrodite and are pollinated by Insects. The trees have pale cream blossom with some pink. The smell of the blossom has however been described as a faint but disgusting smell compared to rotting scampi, soiled sheets or wet carpets. The odour attracts mainly flies including some more often drawn to decaying plant matter such as Bibio marci. Pyrus cordata prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. It prefers acid, neutral and alkaline soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) but prefers full sun and often grows in hedgerows and at the edges of woodlands. It requires moist soil and can tolerate drought. It can also tolerate atmospheric pollution. It is common in Brittany, Northern Portugal and Galicia where it occurs at woodland margins on acid soils.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Magnoliophyta
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Rosales
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Family: Rosaceae
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Genus: Pyrus
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