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Velvet Digest

How do I identify a Bradford pear tree?

Author

Ethan Hayes

Updated on May 22, 2026

Identification: Callery 'Bradford' Pear is a deciduous tree that may reach 60 feet in height and 20 to 30 feet wide. The tree has alternate, simple, ovate leaves approximately 3 inches long and 2 inches wide. The bark is usually light gray. Clusters of white flowers appear before leaves in April to May.

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Keeping this in consideration, how do I identify a Bradford pear?

Key Identifiers:

  1. Deciduous tree (drops its leaves in the fall), reaching up to 30 to 50 feet tall.
  2. Overall tree shape pyramidal, columnar, or egg-shaped.
  3. Wide-spreading branches fairly vertical, branching symmetrically.
  4. Branches sometimes thorny.
  5. Leaves shiny, dark green, leathery, with small-toothed margins.

what will kill a Bradford pear tree? Although girdling the tree trunk probably will kill the "Bradford" pear, spraying the girdled area with an herbicide increases the method's likelihood of success. Spray the bald area thoroughly with a home-garden herbicide, such as one that contains triclopyr or glyphosate.

Regarding this, what tree looks like a Bradford pear?

For alternatives to these invasive flowering trees: Bradford and callery pears (Pyrus calleryana), as well as empress tree (Paulownia tomentosa), mimosa (Albizia julibrissin), and golden rain tree (Koelreuteria paniculata).

Why Bradford pear trees are bad?

The trees are resistant to most pests and diseases. They have a very weak branch structure causing them to split easily. The South Carolina Forestry Commission discourages planting the Bradford pear. According to a release from the commission, "Do not plant Callery or Bradford pear.

Related Question Answers

What are the trees that smell like sperm?

More precisely, a Callery Pear, or Pyrus calleryana, a deciduous tree that's common throughout North America. It blossoms in early spring and produces beautiful, five-petaled white flowers — that smell like semen.

Are there different types of Bradford pear trees?

There are several cultivars of fruitless pear trees commercially available in the United States. Bradford, Cleveland Select (Pyrus calleryana "Cleveland Select") and Jack (Pyrus calleryana "Jack") are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 to 9.

Why does my tree smell like fish?

These flowers, though lovely in appearance, smell like a mixture of rotting fish and semen, according to a variety of web reports, and personal accounts from those in our own newsroom. A tall, deciduous tree called the Bradford Pear (scientific name Pyrus calleryana) is to blame for the raunchy-smelling flowers.

Do Bradford pear trees grow wild?

According to the Department of Conservation, after a fallen tree is removed, sprouts appear at the stump and will grow into the wild, thorny, invasive form of the tree, whose fertile fruits are spread by birds and other animals.

How do Bradford pears spread?

“They pick up a fruit and then fly to the interior of a forest and eat it, and then fly back out,” she said. “The idea is that maybe the pears are changing their behavior—the way they spread—because of the birds.” (Culley added that there is no research to back up this theory just yet.)

Are Bradford pear trees invasive?

Pyrus calleryana, or the Callery pear, is a species of pear tree native to China and Vietnam, in the family Rosaceae. It is most commonly known for its cultivar 'Bradford', widely planted throughout the United States and increasingly regarded as an invasive species.

Are Bradford pears edible?

The little berries (aka pomes) are the the fruit of the Bradford Pear, and are considered inedible by humans.

What does pear tree leaves look like?

Pear leaves look like teardrops, with pointy edges and a rounded base. The leaves have a lightly serrated edge, with no jagged teeth. The leaves are symmetrical, meaning that the right and left halves have the same shape.

Is there a male and female pear tree?

Fruit Trees - Pollination The common fruit trees of Europe - apples, pears, cherries, plums and so on - don't have boy and girl trees. Each flower has male and female parts: for fruit to be made, the female parts must receive pollen from the male parts of another flower.

What is the best ornamental pear tree?

The Best Ornamental Pear Trees
  • Burgundy Snow. Burgundy Snow (Pyrus calleryana) is an ornamental pear tree and a member of the Rosaceae family.
  • Chanticleer Pear. The Chanticleer pear tree (Pyrus calleryana) is an ornamental, flowering pear tree that thrives in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 through 8.
  • Southworth Dancer.

How many different kinds of pear trees are there?

three

What is the use of pear leaf?

Pears, the fruit, are used to make medicine. People use pears for mild digestion problems, diarrhea, severe diarrhea (cholera), colic, constipation, fluid retention, and nausea. They also use pears for a hardened liver (liver sclerosis), spasms, tumors, and fever.

How long does it take a Bradford pear to grow?

Most fast-growing trees are generally not as long-lived as other slower growing types. Bradford Pear trees can get to be between 25 to 30 years of age if well tended.

Will Bradford pear tree grow back?

If you decide to remove the Bradford pear tree and replace it with a pear tree that's stronger and has edible fruit, you can have the tree removed professionally for between $500 and $1000. However, because Bradford pears keep most of their energy in their shoots and roots, there's a chance the tree can grow back.

Do Bradford pear trees cause allergies?

Bradford pear not allergenic. From a literature search, yes, you are correct, Bradford pear pollen is not allergenic because the pollen is spread by insects, not air. The flowering tree can cause an irritant effect by its unpleasant smell.

How tall does a Bradford pear get?

Mature Height/Spread The Bradford pear grows 30 to 50 feet tall and 20 to 30 feet wide. It has a wider and more erect, branchier canopy than the species.

Are Cleveland pears good trees?

Considered a small tree, growing from 25 to 40 feet tall and up to 16 feet wide, the Cleveland select pear tree (Pyrus calleryana 'Chanticleer') works well as an ornamental pear in home gardens or on the street. Of course, as an ornamental, it doesn't provide you with any fruit.

How fast do Cleveland pear trees grow?

The Cleveland Pear Tree grows uniformly, so even if you choose to plant rows of these, most will grow evenly to reach between 30 and 40 feet tall and 15 and 20 feet wide. Unlike many other ornamentals, Cleveland Pears have a fast growth rate. Expect between 3 and 5 feet of new growth each season.