Chinese pear
Pyrus ussuriensis · Rosaceae
Chinese pear (Pyrus ussuriensis) is catalogued by the USDA PLANTS database. USDA records it as hardy in zone 3 and warmer, down to about -33°F.
At a glance
| Mature height | 45 ft USDA |
|---|---|
| Light | full-sun USDA |
| Water need | medium USDA |
| Growth rate | slow USDA |
| Soil pH | 5.5–7.5 USDA |
| Bloom | April–May USDA |
| Flower color | White USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 3 and warmer USDA |
| Nursery availability | Routinely Available USDA |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It needs full sun. USDA rates it as having moderate water needs. Its drought tolerance is rated medium. It will not tolerate waterlogged soil — USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance as none. It is recorded on soils from pH 5.5 to 7.5 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 3.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 45 ft, making it a substantial woody plant. It grows slowly.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of April through May. Flowers are white.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green, medium in texture. Its flowers are conspicuous. It carries conspicuous autumn colour. Its fruit or seed heads are conspicuous, extending interest past flowering. Its active growth period is spring and summer. USDA rates its lifespan as moderate.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 16 to 35 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 100 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 30 inches. Fertility requirement: medium.
Propagating it
Propagate it from seed, bare root and container stock. Seed needs cold stratification — a period of moist chilling — before it will germinate, so sow in autumn or chill it artificially before a spring sowing. Its seed spreads at a slow rate. It does not spread vegetatively, so it will stay where you put it.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals rate it barely palatable — the sourced basis for calling it deer-resistant. It can resprout after its top growth is damaged, so it tolerates being cut back hard. Its growth form is recorded as single stem.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Pyrus
- Callery pear Pyrus calleryana
- common pear Pyrus communis
Similar role and hardiness
- cotoneaster Cotoneaster salicifolius
- spindle tree Euonymus patens
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol PYUS2, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, Bloom, Bloom end, browse palatability, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, vegetative spread rate, Water need.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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