''Pyrus salicifolia'' is a species of

pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in the Northern Hemisphere in late summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the family Rosaceae, bearing the po ...

, native to the Middle East. It is widely grown as an ornamental tree, almost always as a pendulous (or "weeping")

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

, and is called by various common names, including willow-leaved pear, weeping pear, and similar. The tree is

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

and of comparatively small stature, rarely reaching 10–12 meters in height. The crown is rounded. It has pendulous, silvery foliage, superficially similar to a

weeping willow ''Salix babylonica'' (Babylon willow or weeping willow; ) is a species of willow native to dry areas of northern China, but cultivated for millennia elsewhere in Asia, being traded along the Silk Road to southwest Asia and Europe.Flora of China' ...

. The flowers are large and pure white highlighted with black-tipped stamens although the buds are tipped with red. The small green fruits are inedible, being hard and astringent. This tree is cultivated widely in gardens and landscapes. It grows well on infertile sandy soils due to its spreading root system. The trees flower in the spring, but during the rest of the year can be trimmed back and shaped almost like

topiary Topiary is the horticultural practice of training perennial plants by clipping the foliage and twigs of trees, shrubs and subshrubs to develop and maintain clearly defined shapes, whether geometric or fanciful. The term also refers to plants w ...

. This species of tree is very susceptible to

fireblight Fire blight, also written fireblight, is a contagious disease affecting apples, pears, and some other members of the family Rosaceae. It is a serious concern to apple and pear producers. Under optimal conditions, it can destroy an entire orchard ...

, a bacterial pathogen. ''Pyrus salicifolia'' may also be confused with ''

Pyrus nivalis ''Pyrus nivalis'', commonly known as yellow pear, is a species of tree in the family Rosaceae that grows naturally from South-East Europe to Western Asia. Like most pears, its fruit can be eaten raw or cooked; it has a mild sour taste. The plant ...

'' which is generally taller and hardly pendulous or with ''

Pyrus elaeagnifolia ''Pyrus elaeagrifolia'', the oleaster-leafed pear, is a species of wild pear plant in the genus ''Pyrus'' (Rosaceae), the specific name referring to the similarity of its foliage to that of ''Elaeagnus angustifolia'' - the so-called 'wild olive' ...

'' which has broader entire leaves and longer petioles. The cultivar 'Pendula' has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...

's Award of Garden Merit.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1591053 salicifolia Flora of Armenia Flora of Azerbaijan Trees of Western Asia Near threatened flora of Asia