Flora of North America species comparison

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Pyrus nivalis

snow pear
Habit Plants 50–200 dm.
Branches

white-tomentose when young, later blackish;

thorns usually absent.
Leaves

petiole 1–2 cm, tomentose;

blade obovate, 5–9 × 3–4 cm, base cuneate, decurrent, margins entire or slightly crenulate, apex acute or short-acuminate, abaxial surface densely whitish gray pubescent, adaxial sparsely pubescent.
Pedicels

3–6 cm, tomentose-lanate.
Flowers

35–45 mm diam.;

sepals triangular, 6–8 × 3–4 mm, apex acuminate;

petals white, obovate-elliptic, 14–16 × 12–14 mm;

ovaries 5-locular;

styles 5.
Pomes

yellowish green with purple dots, globose, 30–50 mm diam.;

sepals persistent.

Pyrus nivalis
Phenology Flowering Apr.
Habitat Old fields
Elevation 50–200 m (200–700 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
MD; WA; Europe [Introduced in North America]
Discussion

In the flora area, Pyrus nivalis possibly is only persisting after cultivation. The species is native to central and south-central Europe. Some specimens of common pears are called snow pears because of the abundant white flowers; the true snow pear also has whitish foliage as a result of the persistent indument on the abaxial surface of the leaf.

Pyrus elaeagnifolia Pallas, differing from P. nivalis in styles villous to the middle instead of only at the base, smaller fruit 2–3 cm, and often narrower lanceolate or narrowly elliptic leaves, would key here. It is occasionally cultivated but not yet definitely known as an escape.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 9, p. 481.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Pyrus
Sibling taxa
P. calleryana, P. communis, P. cordata, P. pyrifolia, P. serrulata
Synonyms P. austriaca, P. eriopleura, P. salviifolia
Name authority Jacquin: Fl. Austriac. 2: 4, plate 107. (1774)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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