Sacha wrote:
On 2010-10-25 17:19:26 +0100, Rusty Hinge
said:

Sacha wrote:
On 2010-10-25 11:56:10 +0100, Rusty Hinge
said:

In a Norwich soliitor's car park I saw a tree - bushy/small tree
growth, about eight feet high (At present), with long (entire)
leaves which resemble olive leaves in their pubescent pastel effect,
though they were slightly narrower than the olive's.

The fruit is a small pear - around the size of a crab apple, almost
spherical with only a little tapering into the stalk.

Sort of medlar? I asked myself. Nope. The calyx was much too small.
No-one in the office knew, so I took a few pears home.

They retted like a medlar rather than ripened, and the pips had a
quincey look to them. The flesh was pleasantly flavoured (when
retted), but it was littered with gritty nodules which suggested
that the tree was never much use for its fruit.

Anyone any idea what it might be?

Persimmon - long shot?!

Very long shot, no.

This is a pear, a small, hard pear. A very hard small pear, but with
rather unpearlike leaves.

I, too, thought of Pyrus salicifolia but having never tried its fruit, I
looked that up and it's said to be astringent and bitter, which doesn't
sound like your experience. But reading your description and looking at
some pics, it does seem the most likely. Maybe the bletting is the
secret to the flavour.
http://www.habitas.org.uk/gardenflor...alicifolia.htm

Tree looks right, but the fruit on the one in Naaardge is much rounder -
almost spherical and only just pointed at the stalk-end.

--
Rusty