Le Conte Pear (Pyrus x lecontei)
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. This hybrid species has a greater resistance to fireblight than either of its parents though the fruit quality is poorer.
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. This species is a hybrid and is unlikely to breed true to type from seed.
Edible uses
Fruit - raw or cooked. The flesh is crisp-fleshed like that of the Asian pears and is ready to eat when picked. It requires no further ripening and can store for several days to several months.
Habitat
Not known in the wild.
Native range
A garden hybrid, P. communis x P. pyrifolia.