Malcom "Mal" Reynolds wrote:
Friend saw a man selling what she thought were "baby" kiwis at a
local farmers market. He said they were a cross between a kiwi and a
pear. She said it tasted fine and had qualities of both fruits, but
is this really possible?

I don't know for sure but here are some ideas.

The genus of the kiwi is not close to that of the pear and this would make
natural hybridisation through cross pollination very difficult, although GE
techniques can overcome some of those boundaries and there have been crosses
between quite different plants before so it isn't altogether impossible.

Kiwifruit have been given common names involving "pear" in the past. So
this might be some kiwi cultivar. There has apparently been quite some
effort put into finding other species of the kiwifruit genus (actinidia) and
crossing them to make new commercial crops. I am guessing this is the most
likely explanation. One that has already hit the market is the golden kiwi
that has a non furry skin, milder taste and yellow flesh. None of these
involve your actual pear (pyrus).


David