Britt Slattery, USFWS
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Bradford Pear
Pyrus calleryana 'Bradford'
Origin: China
Background
Bradford pear is a cultivar of the Callery pear that is
widely used to landscape residential developments, parking
lots and roadsides. The original 'Bradford'
cultivar was introduced to Maryland in the early 1900s and
had sterile fruits. However, new hybrids, developed to
correct the tendency of the tree to split and fall apart
under wind and snow events, were not sterile. Bradford
pear has escaped plantings and is invading natural
habitats in the eastern United States.
Distribution and Ecological Threat
Grown throughout the United States, Bradford pear grows
best in full sun but will tolerate partial shade and a
variety of soil types and conditions, including occasional
wet soils or drought. New hybrids produce viable seeds
through cross-pollination with the Bradford cultivar. The
descendents are aggressively invading natural and
disturbed open areas, displacing native plant communities
and disrupting natural succession.
Britt Slattery, USFWS
|
Description and Biology
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Plant: grows 30 to 50 feet tall and 20 to 30 feet wide;
exhibits rapid growth (12 to 15 foot increase in height
over 8 to10 years); has a short to moderate life span
(25 to 30 years).
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Leaves: simple, alternate, deciduous, shiny green and
leathery with round-toothed margins; turn mahogany-red
and sometimes bright orange-red in late autumn.
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Flowers, fruits and seeds: produces showy white flowers
in the spring before the leaves expand; small, round,
brown fruits appear during late spring and summer.
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Spreads: by seeds that are dispersed to new locations
by starlings and other birds that eat the fruits.
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Look-alikes: apple trees (Malus species),
basswood (Tilia species).
Prevention and Control
Do not plant Bradford pear. Seedlings and shallow-rooted
plants can be pulled when soil is moist. Small trees need
to be dug up or pulled out using a Weed Wrench®,
ensuring removal of the root system. Large trees should be
cut down and stumps treated with an appropriate systemic
herbicide (e.g., glyphosate or triclopyr), following label
directions, or ground up to prevent resprouting. If
cutting is not possible, trees can be girdled during the
spring and summer, by cutting through the bark all around
the trunk, about 6" above the ground.
Native Alternatives
black haw (Viburnum
prunifolium)
Chris Miller, NRCS
|
serviceberry (Amelanchier
canadensis)
Chris Miller, NRCS
|
redbud (Cercis canadensis)
Britt Slattery, USFWS
|
fringetree (Chionanthus
virginicus)
R. Harrison Wiegand
|
southern arrowwood (Viburnum
dentatum)
Britt Slattery, USFWS
|
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