Bradford Pear Tree (Pyrus calleryana)

INVASIVE. Growing in an overgrown backyard habitat.

The Bradford pear tree was introduced to the US in order to combat fire blight, a deadly bacterial disease of the common pear (Pyrus communis). It is a cultivar of the Callery pear from China and has been a popular ornamental tree in the U.S. from the 1950s through the present. The Bradford pear is sterile and does not produce fruits. Cross-pollination has led to fruit production and a wide dispersal of seeds, making this a highly invasive plant in parts of the US. It forms thick, thorny thickets which strangle out other native tree species.

The Bradford Pear has a very weak branch structure and is prone to splitting and dropping large branches. It also has a very pungent (rot-like odor) when it blossoms in spring.