Pyrus regellii
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Frost limit
- −23.3 °C
Cultivation
Prefers a good well-drained loam in full sun. Plants are hardy to at least -15°c. Cultivated for its edible fruit in China and Japan, there are many named varieties. A hybrid between this plant and P. communis culta is more suitable for warmer climates. The leaves are remarkably variable in shape. Trees are used in the re-afforestation of arid areas.
Propagation
Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in the autumn, it will then usually germinate in mid to late winter. Stored seed requires 8 - 10 weeks cold stratification at 1°c and should be sown as early in the year as possible. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse for their first year. Plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year.
Edible uses
Fruit - raw or cooked.
Material uses
Used as a rootstock.
Habitat
Dry stony slopes, rocks, sometimes in valleys on deeper moist soils, 1000 - 2000 metres.
Native range
W. Asia - Turkestan.