Pyrus pyrifolia

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Rosids
Cladus: Eurosids I
Ordo: Rosales

Familia: Rosaceae
Subfamilia: Amygdaloideae
Tribus: Maleae
Subtribus: Malinae
Genus: Pyrus
Sectio: P. sect. Pashia
Species: Pyrus pyrifolia
Name

Pyrus pyrifolia (Burm.f.) Nakai, Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 40: 564 (1926).
Synonyms

Basionym
Ficus pyrifolia Burm.f., Fl. Indica: 226 (1768).
Heterotypic
Pyrus arakiana Koidz., Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 3: 40 (1934).
Pyrus asakeensis Koidz., Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 6: 215 (1937).
Pyrus communis var. autumnalis Siebold, Verh. Batav. Genootsch. Kunsten 12, 1: 66 (1830).
Pyrus autumnalis (Siebold) Koidz., Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 43: 383 (1929).
Pyrus babauttiagi Koidz., Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 1: 12 (1932).
Pyrus sinensis var. culta Makino, Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 22: 69 (1908).
Pyrus serotina var. culta (Makino) Rehder, Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 50: 233 (1915).
Pyrus pyrifolia var. culta (Makino) Nakai, Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 40: 564 (1926).
Pyrus cuneata Koidz., Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 33: 125 (1919).
Pyrus higoensis Koidz., Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 1: 13 (1932).
Pyrus incubacea Koidz., Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 33: 124 (1919).
Pyrus kiushiana Koidz., Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 38: 88 (1924).
Pyrus kleinhofiana Koidz., Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 43: 384 (1929).
Pyrus lakuholuensis Koidz., Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 10: 60 (1941)
Pyrus lasiogyna Koidz., Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 33: 125 (1919).
Pyrus lindleyi Rehder, Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 50: 230 (1915).
Pyrus montana Nakai, Rep. Veg. Chiisan Mts. 84 (1915).
Pyrus pyrifolia var. montana (Nakai) Nakai, Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 40: 565 (1926).
Pyrus nehiyamadonis Koidz., Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 8: 190 (1939).
Pyrus pseudocalleryana Uyeki, Bull. Agric. Forest. Coll. Suigen (Suwon) 1: 15 (1925).
Pyrus pseudouipongensis Uyeki, Bull. Agric. Forest. Coll. Suigen (Suwon) 1: 17 (1925).
Pyrus pyrifolia var. talyschensis Gladkova, Novosti Sist. Vyssh. Rast. 25: 100 (1988).
Pyrus montana var. rehderi Nakai, Fl. Sylv. Kor. 6: 53 (1916).
Pyrus saidaeana Koidz., Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 10: 60 (1941).
Pyrus serotina Rehder, Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 50: 231 (1915).
Pyrus sinensis Lindl., Trans. Hort. Soc. London 6: 397 (1826).
Pyrus communis var. sinensis K.Koch, Ann. Mus. Bot. Lugduno-Batavi 1: 248 (1864).
Pyrus sohayakiensis Koidz., Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 38: 87 (1924).
Pyrus tajimensis Koidz., Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 10: 59 (1941).
Pyrus takuhokuensis Koidz., Acta Phytotax.Geobot.10: 60 (1941).
Pyrus tambana Koidz., Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 38: 90 (1924).
Pyrus tobisimensis Koidz., Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 5: 48 (1936).
Pyrus togashiana Koidz., Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 5: 48 (1936).
Pyrus tsuchiyana Koidz., Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 39: 27 (1925).
Pyrus tungusiana Koidz., Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 5: 49 (1936).
Pyrus uipongensis Uyeki, Journ. Chosen Agric. Soc. 16 (1): 5 (1921).
Pyrus umemurana Koidz., Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 39: 17 (1925).
Pyrus uyematsuana Makino, Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 22: 68 (1908).
Pyrus yohrohensis Koidz., Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 6: 214 (1937).

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Asia-Temperate
Regional: Middle Asia (introduced)
Tadzhikistan.
Regional: China
China South-Central (Guizhou, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan), China Southeast (Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Zhejiang).
Regional: Eastern Asia (introduced)
Japan (Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku), Korea (North Korea, South Korea), Taiwan.
Continental: Asia-Tropical (introduced)
Regional: Indian Subcontinent
Assam, Pakistan.
Regional: Indo-China
Laos, Vietnam.
Continental: Northern America (introduced)
Regional: North-Central U.S.A.
Illinois.
Regional: Northeastern U.S.A.
West Virginia.
Regional: Southeastern U.S.A.
District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia.

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Nakai, T. 1926. Notulae ad Plantas Japoniae & Koreae XXXIII. Botanical Magazine (Tokyo) 40(479): 563–586. DOI: 10.15281/jplantres1887.40.563 Open access Reference page.

Additional references

Vidal, J.E. 1968. Flore du Cambodge du Laos et du Viêt-Nam 6: 1-210. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris. Reference page.
Islam, M., Ahmad, H., Ali, H. & Alam, J. 2016. New records of the genus Pyrus (Rosaceae) from Pakistan and Azad Kashmir. Iranian Journal of Botany 22(2): 82–87. PDF Reference page.

Links

Hassler, M. 2021. Pyrus pyrifolia. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2021. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published online. Accessed: 2021 March 24. Reference page.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2021. Pyrus pyrifolia in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2021 March 24. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2021. Pyrus pyrifolia. Published online. Accessed: 24 March 2021.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Pyrus pyrifolia in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 07-Oct-06.

Vernacular names
čeština: Naši
Deutsch: Nashi-Birne
Ελληνικά: Ασιατικό αχλάδι
English: Nashi pear, sand pear
suomi: Omenapäärynä
Nordfriisk: Nashi
français: Nashi
magyar: Japán körte
italiano: Nashi
Nederlands: Nashi-peer, zandpeer
svenska: Nashipäron

Pyrus pyrifolia is a species of pear tree native to East Asia. The tree's edible fruit is known by many names, including: Asian pear,[2] Japanese pear,[2] Chinese pear,[2][3] Korean pear,[4][5][6] Taiwanese pear, apple pear,[7] zodiac pear, three-halves pear, papple, naspati and sand pear.[2] Along with cultivars of P. × bretschneideri and P. ussuriensis, the fruit is also called the nashi pear.[8][9] Cultivars derived from Pyrus pyrifolia are grown throughout East Asia, and in other countries such as India, Nepal, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States (e.g., California). Traditionally in East Asia the tree's flowers are a popular symbol of early spring, and it is a common sight in gardens and the countryside.

The fruits are not generally baked in pies or made into jams because they have a high water content and a crisp, grainy texture, very different from the European varieties. They are commonly served raw and peeled.[10] The fruit tends to be quite large and fragrant, and when carefully wrapped (it has a tendency to bruise because of its juiciness), it can last for several weeks or more in a cold, dry place.

Culture

Due to their relatively high price and the large size of the fruit of cultivars, the pears tend to be served to guests, given as gifts, or eaten together in a family setting.[11][12]

In cooking, ground pears are used in vinegar- or soy sauce-based sauces as a sweetener, instead of sugar.[13] They are also used when marinating meat, especially beef, with a notable example being in the Korean dish bulgogi, due to the presence of enzymes to tenderize the proteins in the meat.[14][15]

In Australia, these pears were first introduced into commercial production beginning in 1980.[16]

In Japan, fruit is harvested in Chiba, Ibaraki, Tottori, Fukushima, Tochigi, Nagano, Niigata, Saitama and other prefectures, except Okinawa. Nashi (梨) may be used as a late Autumn kigo, or "season word", when writing haiku. Nashi no hana (梨の花, pear flower) is also used as a kigo of spring.[17] At least one city (Kamagaya-Shi, Chiba Prefecture) has the flowers of this tree as an official city flower.[13]

In Nepal (Nepali: Naspati नस्पाती) and the Himalayan states of India, they are cultivated as a cash crop in the Middle Hills between about 1,500 and 2,500 metres (5,000 and 8,000 ft) in elevation, where the climate is suitable. The fruit are carried to nearby markets by human porters or, increasingly, by truck, but not for long distances because they bruise easily.[18]

In Taiwan, pears harvested in Japan have become luxurious presents since 1997 and their consumption has jumped.[11][12]

In China, the term "sharing a pear" (Chinese: 分梨; pinyin: fēn lí) is a homophone of "separate" (simplified Chinese: 分离; traditional Chinese: 分離; pinyin: fēnlí), as a result, sharing a pear with a loved one can be read as a desire to separate from them.[19]

In Korea, the fruit is known as bae (배),[13] and it is grown and consumed in great quantity. In the South Korean city of Naju, there is a museum called The Naju Pear Museum and Pear Orchard for Tourists (나주 배 박물관 및 배밭 관광체험).[20]

In Cyprus, the pears were introduced in 2010 after initially being investigated as a new fruit crop for the island in the early 1990s. They are currently grown in Kyperounta.[21]
Cultivars

Cultivars are classified in two groups. Most of the cultivars belong to the Akanashi ('Russet pears') group, and have yellowish-brown rinds. The Aonashi ('Green pears') have yellow-green rinds.
Kosui
Nijisseiki

Important cultivars include:

'Chojuro' (長十郎, Japan, 1893?)[22][23] ('Russet pears')
'Kosui' (幸水, Japan, 1959; the most important cultivar in Japan)[24][25] ('Russet pears')
'Hosui' (豊水, Japan, 1972)[26][27] ('Russet pears')
'Imamuraaki' (今村秋, Japan, native)[28] ('Russet pears')
'Nijisseiki' (二十世紀, Japan, 1898; name means "20th century", also spelled 'Nijusseiki')[29][30] ('Green pears')
'Niitaka' (新高, Japan, 1927)[31][32] ('Russet pears')
'Okusankichi' (晩三吉, Japan, native)[33][34] ('Russet pears')
'Raja' (new)[35] ('Russet pears')
'Shinko' (新興, Japan, pre-1941)[36][37] ('Russet pears') ('Russet pears')
'Hwangkeum' (황금, 黄金, Korea, 1984, 'Niitaka' × 'Nijisseiki')
'Huanghuali' (not to be confused with the wood of Dalbergia odorifera, also called Huanghuali)[38][39]

Gallery

A Japanese pear wrapped with a ribbon to give as a gift. A United States quarter is provided for scale

Sliced

Whole and cut

Padded to stop bruising

Compared to a hand

Group foamed for shipping

At a market

Nashi pear tree in bloom

Notes

"Pyrus pyrifolia (Burm.f.) Nakai". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
Bailey, L.H.; Bailey, E.Z. & the staff of the Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium (1976). Hortus third: A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 9780025054707.
USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Pyrus pyrifolia". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
Lee, Ho-Sun; Isse, Toyoshi; Kawamoto, Toshihiro; Woo, Hyun-Su; Kim, An Keun; Park, Jong Y.; Yang, Mihi (November 2012). "Effects and action mechanisms of Korean pear (Pyrus pyrifolia cv. Shingo) on alcohol detoxification". Phytotherapy Research. 26 (11): 1753–1758. doi:10.1002/ptr.4630. PMID 22451246. S2CID 22181078.
Mishkin, Leah (9 October 2017). "Korean pear season in full swing at Hamilton Township farm". NJTV News. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
Coyne, Kevin (21 August 2009). "Evergreen Farm Taps New Jersey Market for Ethnic Crops". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
アジア1の生産を誇る延辺龍井リンゴ梨 接ぎ木から100周年を祝う. KoreaWorldTimes (in Japanese). 2021-05-17. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
"NSW Primary Industries 2002. Nashi Asian pear varieties. Agfact H4.1.14". Archived from the original on 2015-06-18. Retrieved 2011-08-25.
In Japanese the fruit is called nashi. The best variety is called shingo in Korean.
Solomon, Charmaine (1998), "Nashi", Encyclopedia of Asian Food, Periplus Editions, New Holland Publishers, archived from the original on May 21, 2009, retrieved 2008-07-11
Foltán, Kamil; Bryant, Zurina; Chang, Ri (2018-06-12). "Asian Pear – The Asian Apple". The Indigenous Bartender. Retrieved 2021-05-22.
Sasaki, Shigeyuki (2008). "Japanese Fruits - Fruits Grown in Japan". The Takasago Times: Research & Development. Retrieved 2021-05-22.
Imatome-Yun, Naomi (2019-08-18). "What You Should Know About the Bae Pear". The Spruce Eats. Retrieved 2021-05-22.
Hagedorn, David (2012-11-27). "Cook Asian pears at your peril". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-05-22.
Kim, Emily [Maangchi]; Roskin, Julia. "Bulgogi (Korean Grilled Beef) Recipe". New York Times Cooking. Retrieved 2021-05-22.
"Nashi asian pear varieties". New South Wales Department of Primary Industries. 26 April 2007. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
The Yuki Teikei Haiku Season Word List Archived 2011-08-23 at the Wayback Machine from the Yuki Teikei Haiku Society (Northern California)
Gotame, Tek Prasad; Subedi, Giri Dhari; Dhakal, Maheshwar; Khatiwada, Prerana (December 2015). "Postharvest Handling of Asian Pear in Nepal". Nepal Agricultural Research Council Horticulture Research Division: 1–41 – via ResearchGate.
"Chinese Food Symbolism".
youtube Naju Pear Museum
Home-grown Japanese pear officially launched - Cyprus Mail Archived 2010-09-18 at the Wayback Machine
"独立行政法人 農業・食品産業技術総合研究機構 農研機構 果樹研究所：果樹研". affrc.go.jp. Archived from the original on 2011-10-03.
"Nashi Variety: Chojuro". New South Wales Department of Primary Industries. 2002. Archived from the original on June 25, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
"独立行政法人 農業・食品産業技術総合研究機構 農研機構 果樹研究所：果樹研". affrc.go.jp. Archived from the original on 2011-10-03.
"NSW Primary Industries 2002. Nashi Asian pear varieties, kosui. Agfact H4.1.14". Archived from the original on 2015-06-25. Retrieved 2011-08-25.
"独立行政法人 農業・食品産業技術総合研究機構 農研機構 果樹研究所：果樹研". affrc.go.jp. Archived from the original on 2011-10-03.
"NSW Primary Industries 2002. Nashi Asian pear varieties, housui. Agfact H4.1.14". Archived from the original on 2015-06-25. Retrieved 2011-08-25.
"独立行政法人 農業・食品産業技術総合研究機構 農研機構 果樹研究所：果樹研". affrc.go.jp. Archived from the original on 2011-10-03.
"独立行政法人 農業・食品産業技術総合研究機構 農研機構 果樹研究所：果樹研". affrc.go.jp. Archived from the original on 2011-10-03.
"NSW Primary Industries 2002. Nashi Asian pear varieties, nijiseiki. Agfact H4.1.14". Archived from the original on 2015-06-25. Retrieved 2011-08-25.
"独立行政法人 農業・食品産業技術総合研究機構 農研機構 果樹研究所：果樹研". affrc.go.jp. Archived from the original on 2011-10-03.
"NSW Primary Industries 2002. Nashi Asian pear varieties, nitaka. Agfact H4.1.14". Archived from the original on 2015-06-25. Retrieved 2011-08-25.
"独立行政法人 農業・食品産業技術総合研究機構 農研機構 果樹研究所：果樹研". affrc.go.jp. Archived from the original on 2011-10-03.
"NSW Primary Industries 2002. Nashi Asian pear varieties, okusanki. Agfact H4.1.14". Archived from the original on 2015-06-25. Retrieved 2011-08-25.
Edwards, Barbara; Olivella, Mary (2011). From Tree to Table: Growing Backyard Fruit Trees in the Pacific Maritime Climate. Seattle: Skiptone. p. 127. ISBN 9781594855191.
"独立行政法人 農業・食品産業技術総合研究機構 農研機構 果樹研究所：果樹研". affrc.go.jp. Archived from the original on 2011-10-03.
"Nashi Variety: Shinko". New South Wales Department of Primary Industries. 2002. Archived from the original on June 25, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
Cai, D.-y.; Fan, T.-w.; Teng, Y.-w.; Zhao, C.-z.; Chen, B.-h.; Wang, F.-l. (2008), "Assessment of pear germplasm from the middle area of Gansu province using amplified fragment length polymorphism markers", Journal of Fruit Science, 2008 (3)
Z.R. Luo & Q.L. Zhang (2002). "The genetic resources and their utilization of Pyrus pyrifolia in China". Acta Horticulturae (587): 201–205. doi:10.17660/ActaHortic.2002.587.23.