. . . but EVERGREEN pear???????????
Whatzit?
Pyrus 'Kawakami', available from Brent, who describes it:
"Evergreen (partially deciduous in coldest areas) shrub or
small tree. Drooping branchlets, shiny medium green leaves,
clouds
of creamy white flowers in late winter or early
spring, just after mume. Sometimes forms small hard inedible
green
fruit. Without training it becomes large sprawling
shrub. It is better used as a small tree by staking it up
and
selecting a single trunk. Quickly forms rough bark
consisting of irregular oblong shaped plates which is quite
attractive (see second photo). A quite tough little plant
surviving adverse conditions of sun, little water, poor
soil,
but
can only tolerate temperatures to 15F. It is also one of the
few pears resistant to Fireblight. This plant has been
overlooked
for bonsai but would seem to have great potential. It is
easily top and root pruned. The leaves do reduce somewhat
and
it
develops characteristic bark fairly quickly."
--
Thanks.
If I had looked it up first . . . Anyway, Dirr (Woody Landscape
Plants) says "Pyrus kawakamii, Evergreen Pear, is a small,
rounded evergreen tree that offers abundant white flowers in
late
winter or early spring. tends toward a large shrub and the
branches droop and sprawl. Used on the West Coast, particularly
California. I have seen a few trees on the Georgia coast but
they were decimated by fireblight. The branches may develop
thorns. Fruit is globose, glabrous, about 1/2" across and
inedible."
So Dirr considers "kawakamii" to be a species and says it IS
susceptible to fireblight. ???
I have Pyrus pyrifolia, Chinese Sand Pear, but Dirr says nothing
about its susceptibility. I've has a couple in pots for 8 years
or so now and have only had black spot disease on the leaves.
Easily controllable.
jim
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