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Pyrus whatthehellisit?
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? -- Rusty |
Pyrus whatthehellisit?
In message , Rusty Hinge
writes 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? Do you know Pyrus salicifolia? Size and foliage does seem to match Elaeagnus angustifolia, as mentioned elsethread, but if I've put the right name to the right plant the fruits of this are smaller, not pyriform, and not a pome. -- Stewart Robert Hinsley |
Pyrus whatthehellisit?
In article ,
Janet writes failing that take a look through http://www.whispering-trees.co.uk/tr...=1110578905355 §ionID=59 Janet Not the willow-leafed pear by any chance? The fruit and leaves sound very similar and they can get quite big. -- Janet Tweedy Dalmatian Telegraph http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk |
Quote:
Eleagnus seems unlikely, the ones I know have a berry with a large stone like an olive, hence names like Russian olive. Persimmon seems unlikely, as they have broad leaves, and one is unlikely I think to describe a persimmon fruit as a pear. One might describe the fruit of Pseudocydonia (Chinese quince) like that, but the rest doesn't hold together. I saw medlars for sale in a greengrocers on Saturday, first time ever. It was in Glastonbury, one sees all sorts of strange things for sale there. |
Pyrus whatthehellisit?
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. -- Rusty |
Pyrus whatthehellisit?
Janet Tweedy wrote:
In article , Janet writes failing that take a look through http://www.whispering-trees.co.uk/tr...=1110578905355 §ionID=59 Janet Not the willow-leafed pear by any chance? The fruit and leaves sound very similar and they can get quite big. Could be. Lots of gushing on www but little real light - well, not on the sites I've managed to look at. Why do so many of them want to set half a dozen cookies? (All denied except the site's own, and even this is discarded as soon as Fried Fox closes.) -- Rusty |
Pyrus whatthehellisit?
Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote:
Do you know Pyrus salicifolia? Well, I didn't... Size and foliage does seem to match Elaeagnus angustifolia, as mentioned elsethread, but if I've put the right name to the right plant the fruits of this are smaller, not pyriform, and not a pome. Well, if you'd put the fuit in my hand I would have said it was a pear, and cut up, I'd still have said it was a pear, only more emphatically - while it doesn't have the beak of (say) a Williams or Conference, it does have a slight tapering towards the stalk. In shape the fruit's not unlike the pears of a tree we had in another life, though much smaller - the tree was normal sized for a standard pear, the pears were a normal size, but they were of case-hardened superconcrete construction, and having once bent their bills, even the fieldfares and redwings left them alone. The pears didn't soften during stewing overnight in the bottom oven of the Aga, and often survived the winter under the tree where they lay, and even when brown all the way through they were far too dangerous for us (kids) to use as ammunition.˛ął Very pretty large flowers and the tree was a glory for a rather short time each year. It was probably a pollinator - we had several other pears. ˛ął as we did with (say) rotten codlings and conference pears, which explode on impact in a most satisfying fashion. -- Rusty |
Pyrus whatthehellisit?
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 |
Pyrus whatthehellisit?
Assuming I unearth my camera tonight I'll take some pics tomorrow - assuming I go into 'The City'. -- Rusty |
Pyrus whatthehellisit?
echinosum wrote:
I saw medlars for sale in a greengrocers on Saturday, first time ever. It was in Glastonbury, one sees all sorts of strange things for sale there. There was a medlar in a local garden, and I intended to beg a cutting or two. Last time I looked, it was horridly dead... -- Rusty |
Pyrus whatthehellisit?
In article , Rusty Hinge
writes Could be. Lots of gushing on www but little real light - well, not on the sites I've managed to look at. What about this close up of a leaf? http://www.carolscornwall.com/Plants...i/Tree-Pyrus%2 0salicifolia03-07-09.jpg -- Janet Tweedy Dalmatian Telegraph http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk |
Pyrus whatthehellisit?
"Rusty Hinge" wrote in message ... 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? Our local cider group has been making cider and perry this past couple of months, and one of the pears we have been using is a small inedible perry pear called Blush, found in an orchard on an old farm. The pear is quite small and round, and we've managed to get about 35 gallons of perry juice which is on the ferment now. We have been scratting and pressing with local apples, too, and have over 150 gallons of cider on the go. Here are some pictures of pears, including one of Blush, as well as an image of wild pears. Maybe one of them will match your pear. http://international.stockfood.com/r...lstformats=019 someone |
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