Pyrus nivalis
Rosaceae subfam. amygdaloideae
snow pear
white-tomentose when young, later blackish;
thorns usually absent.
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.
alternate, sometimes opposite, simple, sometimes pinnately compound;
stipules present or absent.
3–6 cm, tomentose-lanate.
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.
torus absent or minute;
carpels 1–5(–8), distinct or +/- connate (Maleae), free or +/- adnate to hypanthium (many Maleae), styles distinct or +/- connate (some Maleae);
ovules (1 or)2(–5+), collateral, clustered, or biseriate.
follicles aggregated or not, capsules, drupes aggregated or not, aggregated drupelets, pomes, or aggregated nutlets, rarely achenes or aggregated achenes;
styles persistent or deciduous, not elongate (elongate in Gillenieae).
yellowish green with purple dots, globose, 30–50 mm diam.;
sepals persistent.
= 8, 9, 15, 17.
Pyrus nivalis
Rosaceae subfam. amygdaloideae
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.)
Cyanogenic glycosides are usually present in Amygdaloideae; sorbitol is present.
The name Amygdaloideae Arnott (1832) has priority over Spiraeoideae Arnott (1832), used by D. Potter et al. (2007), because Amygdalaceae (1820) is an earlier conserved name.
Tribes 9, genera 55, species ca. 1300 (9 tribes, 38 genera, 361 species, including 20 hybrids, in the flora)
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
- Local floras:
BC, 
OR - Local Web sites:
Flora NW, 
MD Biodiversity, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
