The Ornamental Pear 'Bradford' was introduced to America in 1919, grown from seeds obtained in Nanjing, China. Because of its beauty and resistance to air pollution and compacted soils, it is used as both an urban street and landscape tree. The negative side is that it is extremely short lived and weak-wooded, thus very susceptible to wind and ice storm damage. The Bradford Pear can also attract large flocks of roosting birds. Cultivar's like 'Chanticleer', 'Cleveland Select', and 'Aristocrat' are better stronger choices for the urban landscape, as well as cultivar's that are fire blight tolerant. Bark: The bark of young trees is dark brown and changes to a lightly ridged-and-furrowed grayish brown at maturity. The bark is very thin and easily damaged. Foliage: The leaves are alternate, simple, oval-shaped with rounded margins, flat and broad. Glossy green in the summer, they change to a mahogany - red and sometimes bright orange - red mid to late November. Sometimes color can last until December. Flowers: The 3/8 - 3/4 inch flowers are small, white and borne in 3 inch diameter corymbs. The flowers, also, have an unpleasant smell and bloom in Mid-March. Fruit: The brown fruit has a diameter of 1/2 inch or less, is a small, loosely clustered pome, and is hidden by the leaves.
| Tree ID Number: | 104 |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name: | Pyrus calleryana 'Bradford' |
| Mature Height: | 30 - 50ft |
| Canopy Spread (Diameter): | 20 - 35ft |
| Branching Shape: | Pyramidal in youth, broadening with time. |
| Growth Rate: | Rapid |
| Wood Strength: | Thin; soft |
| Cold Hardiness Zone: | 5-8 |
| Soil Moisture Requirements: | Moist, Dry |
| Light Requirements: | Sun |
| Common Pests: | Basically free of pests, but can get tip dieback from fireblight. |
| Comments: | Ornamental. The cultivar 'Bradford' is not recommended for landscape plantings by many professional forestry and landscape associations. There are other cultivar options much improved for landscape use. |
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