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Pear tree identification

nickjoseph Milwaukee, WI

last year

This tree was planted probably about 15 years ago. I thought the garden company (which probably doesn't have records anymore since they planted it so long ago) planted a Bartlett. We used to have a Bartlett that had the biggest juiciest fruit. It died at about 40 some years old. This tree some years with get a bunch of white flowers & then a tree full of pears. The pears seem more bitter. Can you tell by the pictures what type of pear tree this is? Thanks!

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Comments (3)

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
last year
I don’t see anything in the picture which would eliminate Bartlett at that stage of development. Did you pick them fully ripe? Did you thin the fruit if there were a lot? Did the tree have enough water and sunshine?
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
last year
in my MI ... barlett fall from the tree rock hard... and unripe... and we used to leave them on a picnic table in deep fall to ripen .... and i think they tasted better after a freeze .. [small suburban lot.. ans i presume the dog kept the tree rats away ...]

the ultimate hard fruit for storage in the root cellar.. along with the fall apples ...

ken
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They will get their sugar up even unthinned but thinning will difinately greatly increase size (they're small enough anyway) and somewhat improve flavor. Maybe just becuase there is a lower ratio of skin in larger fruit but I think it cranks up the brix a bit also.
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At this stage of development, I doubt that anyone could identify the variety. You'll probably have to wait until they're mature - and even then, it may be something of a guess. Check out the paintings &/or photos at the NCGR site, linked below. Here is a link that might be useful: NCGR Pyrus
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I linked in a page with pictures of some common pear varieties. There are far more varieties than what is listed on that page to be sure. For ripe fruit, pick them when mature (full-sized yet still green.) Store at room temperature. They will soften and sweeten with storage. The skin usually changes color when ripe. It's what I do with my own pear tree. FataMorgana Here is a link that might be useful: Some Common Pear Varieties
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'Sugar pear' is a common name for a Seckel pear, whch is a small and vey sweet winter variety. But the typical harvest period for these is mid to late fall so still a bit on the late side although I have never gardened in Houston and have no idea how that climate would affect fruit production and harvesting. One thought may be that the pears are now overripe and dropping naturally. Winter pears are typically harvested while still quite hard and unripe and firmly attached to the tree. They are then stored to ripen off the tree - in cold storage for up to 5 months or for several weeks if at room temp. If you leave a winter pear to ripen on the tree, by the time you harvest it - or it falls/drops naturally - it will be too ripe to eat and just be brown and mushy inside.
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nickjoseph Milwaukee, WI
Original Author
last year
Thank you both. Last year we had about a dozen pears on the whole tree. This year, probably several hundred--pretty small yet as typically they aren't ready til around late August/ into September. Plenty of sunshine, water. Haven't thinned out from year to year. Noticed this year our Willow tree has expanded pushing right next to the Pear tree. Probably need to get that one pruned. Always wait til ripe. With our very old Bartlett that died, the pears would just 'thunk' off the tree when fully ripe. If we didn't get to them before the wasps & critters did...... Those were the best pears I ever had in my life. Tree was probably over 40 years old.

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