Pyrus ussuriensis

Ussurian pear
P. ussuriensis buds, leaves, and flowers
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Pyrus
Species:
P. ussuriensis
Binomial name
Pyrus ussuriensis

Pyrus ussuriensis, also known as the Ussurian pear, Harbin pear, and Manchurian pear, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae.[1]

It is native to Korea, Japan, China, and the Ussuri River area of far eastern Russia. It has flowers in spring that are slightly pink when budding and then turn white.[2] Buds are dark brown and have an alternating arrangement. The tree grows to a height of about 15 meters (49 ft) and prefers well-drained loam-type soils. It is considered the hardiest of all pears.[3] When planted in milder climates, the trees have been known to be killed by freezes after they begin budding.[3] Many species of birds and mammals feed upon the fruit of this species. Deer, mice, and rabbits are known to damage the trees.[4] Leaves are dark green in spring and summer and turn dark red and gold in autumn.[2] Products made from the fruits may prove more effective than commercial insecticides in killing ticks and mites.[5] Crosses of this species with other pears produces pears that grow in climates too cold for most pears.[3]

Cultivars include the 'Reli', 'Jinxiang', 'Hongbalixiang', 'Baibalixiang', 'Fuwuxiang', 'Qiuxiang', 'Fuanjianba', 'Longxiang', 'Guanhongxiao', 'Shanli24', 'Wuxiangli', 'Shatangli', 'Manyuanxiang', 'McDermand', and the Prairie Gem Flowering Pear (cultivar ‘MorDak’).[4] There are at least 108 compounds in the fruits that affect plant breeding and these show that P. ussuriensis cultivars fall into 4 groups.[6]

Frozen dongli (center) and persimmons (bottom left). Photograph taken in Jilin City during mid January.

In China, Ussurian pear is often freeze-thaw ripened in order to obtain a desired flavor and texture.[7][8] This traditional product, called dongli, likely dates back to at least the Liao dynasty, helping to extend the pears shelf life during winter.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 "Pyrus ussuriensis". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Pyrus ussuriensis" (PDF). Colac Otway Shire, Victoria, Australia. 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "Pyrus ussuriensis - Ussurian Pear". Mustila Arboretum. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Ussurian or Harbin Pear" (PDF). North Dakota State University. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  5. ↑ Jeon, J. H.; Yang, J. Y.; Lee, H. S. (2012). "Acaricidal Activities of Materials Derived from Pyrus ussuriensis Fruits Against Stored Food Mites". Journal of Food Protection. 75 (7): 1258–1262. doi:10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-12-040. PMID 22980009.
  6. ↑ Qin, Gaihua (2012). "Evaluation of the Volatile Profile of 33 Pyrus ussuriensis Cultivars by HS-SPME with GC–MS". Food Science. 134 (4): 2367–2382. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2012.04.053. PMID 23442698.
  7. ↑ Liu, Yulian; Wu, Yuxia; Che, Fei; Zhang, Zhimin; Chen, Baihong (2019-07-18). "Physical-Chemical Composition and Quality Related Changes in "Ruaner" Pear (Pyrus ussuriensis) During Freezing-Thawing Period". Molecules. 24 (14): 2611. doi:10.3390/molecules24142611. ISSN 1420-3049. PMC 6681023. PMID 31323743.
  8. ↑ Yang, Wang; WenHui, Wang; XiaoHui, Jia; Wei, Tong; ZhiHua, Wang; XiaoLong, Yang (2017-09-01). "Evaluation of Frozen Fruit Quality of Different Pear Cultivars". Scientia Agricultura Sinica. 50 (17). doi:10.3864/j.i (inactive 8 August 2026). ISSN 0578-1752. Archived from the original on 2023-06-18.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of August 2026 (link)
  9. ↑ Chen, Jia-Nan; Han, Hao-Ting; Liu, Chun-Ju; Gao, Qi; Wang, Xiao-Wen; Zhang, Jun-Wei; Tanokura, Masaru; Xue, You-Lin (October 2022). "Characterization of aroma-active compounds in Dongli by quantitative descriptive analysis, gas chromatography-triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry, and gas chromatography-olfactometry". Journal of Food Science and Technology. 59 (10): 4108–4121. doi:10.1007/s13197-022-05463-8. ISSN 0022-1155. PMC 9525488. PMID 36193355.
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  • "Pyrus ussuriensis". Plants for a Future.
  • Pyrus ussuriensis in the CalPhotos photo database, University of California, Berkeley
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