Bradford and Callery Pear

Every spring, all over South Carolina, we see yards, abandoned lots, natural areas, roadsides, and, in some cases, forests fill with white flowers. These first white flowers of the year are nearly all from the Callery pear tree (Pyrus calleryana). This tree is native to China, and while they may look the same, many of the trees planted in yards, around businesses, and in other managed landscapes across South Carolina are cultivars of P. calleryana. One of the most common cultivars is the Bradford pear (more information on Bradford pears can be found on this Clemson HGIC fact sheet HGIC 1006, Bradford Pear). Bradford pears, by themselves, cannot produce viable seed. But, if pollen from a different flowering pear cultivar (or a wild Callery pear) pollinates a Bradford pear flower, then viable seed can be produced. The fruit is often eaten by birds, and birds doing what birds do (hint: they fly and poop), spread the seeds across the land. When these new plants grow, they’re now Callery pears, the wild relative of Bradford and other cultivated varieties of Pyrus calleryana.

Callery pears are an aggressive invasive species. The stems and branches possess thorns (sometimes up to 3” long!), they can spread by seed or through root sprouts, and they can quickly take over a roadside, old field, pasture, vacant lot, or forest understory. Once established, they’re difficult to remove because of the thorns, which can easily puncture skin, wound livestock, or pop tires on vehicles or implements. Prescribed fire is not a good way to clear the land of them, because research has shown that for every stem that a fire kills, four more will resprout in its place. Many herbicides, including glyphosate and triclopyr, are effective in killing