Introduction
`Redspire' Callery Pear quickly grows 35 to 45 feet high and 20 feet wide, with upright-spreading, thornless branches. The narrow crown enable this tree to be used in tight overhead spaces. The silhouette appears as a fat column growing wider than `Whitehouse' and `Capital' but narrower than `Bradford' and `Aristocrat'. In spring before the new leaves unfold, the tree puts on a nice display of pure white flowers larger than `Bradford' or `Aristocrat'. Flowering may be subdued in USDA hardiness zone 8b and it occurs at about the same time as `Bradford' Callery Pear. The leaves emerge as red/purple, then become 1.5 to 3 inches long, glossy green with wavy margins and a red blush. They turn yellow to orange in fall in the south putting on an attractive display before dropping. Fall color may be subdued in the north. The small, pea-sized, red/brown fruits which form are quite attractive to birds and other wildlife, and mummify on the tree persisting for several months to a year. Planting two or more cultivars of Callery Pear together could increase fruit set.
Credit: Ed Gilman
General Information
Scientific name: Pyrus calleryana
Pronunciation: PIE-rus kal-ler-ee-AY-nuh
Common name(s): 'Redspire' Callery Pear
Family: Rosaceae
USDA hardiness zones: 5A through 9A (Fig. 2)
Origin: not native to North America
Invasive potential: little invasive potential
Uses: shade; container or planter; street without sidewalk; screen; specimen; parking lot island < 100 sq ft; parking lot island 100-200 sq ft; parking lot island > 200 sq ft; sidewalk cutout (tree pit); tree lawn 3-4 feet wide; tree lawn 4-6 feet wide; tree lawn > 6 ft wide; urban tolerant; highway median
Availability: not native to North America
Description
Height: 35 to 45 feet
Spread: 20 to 30 feet
Crown uniformity: symmetrical
Crown shape: pyramidal
Crown density: moderate
Growth rate: fast
Texture: medium
Foliage
Leaf arrangement: alternate (Fig. 3)
Leaf type: simple
Leaf margin: undulate, sinuate/undulate, crenate
Leaf shape: ovate
Leaf venation: pinnate, reticulate
Leaf type and persistence: deciduous
Leaf blade length: less than 2 inches, 2 to 4 inches
Leaf color: green
Fall color: yellow, orange
Fall characteristic: showy
Flower
Flower color: white/cream/gray
Flower characteristics: very showy
Fruit
Fruit shape: round
Fruit length: less than .5 inch
Fruit covering: dry or hard
Fruit color: tan, brown
Fruit characteristics: attracts birds; not showy; fruit/leaves not a litter problem
Trunk and Branches
Trunk/bark/branches: branches don't droop; not showy; typically multi-trunked; thorns
Pruning requirement: needed for strong structure
Breakage: resistant
Current year twig color: brown
Current year twig thickness: thick
Wood specific gravity: unknown
Culture
Light requirement: full sun
Soil tolerances: clay; sand; loam; alkaline; acidic; occasionally wet; well-drained
Drought tolerance: high
Aerosol salt tolerance: moderate
Other
Roots: not a problem
Winter interest: no
Outstanding tree: no
Ozone sensitivity: tolerant
Verticillium wilt susceptibility: resistant
Pest resistance: sensitive to pests/diseases
Use and Management
Planted commonly as a street tree or in parking lot islands, it is also quite suited for downtown tree pits due to its urban tolerance. Like `Bradford' pear, it is able to tolerate small soil spaces. It looks great located along a street on 20 to 25-foot-centers and creates a `corridor' for traffic flow.
Fire blight susceptibility was light to moderate in tests conducted at Auburn University. Others report resistance to fireblight. It has a fruit set which could create a nuisance for some. Pruning the trees early in their life to space lateral branches along a central trunk should help in developing a strong, well-structured tree. Only buy trees with well-spaced branches. This cultivar has a better form than `Bradford' and is easier to train to a strong structure.
Callery Pear trees are shallow-rooted and will tolerate most soil types including alkaline and clay, are pest- and pollution-resistant, and tolerate drought and wet soil well. It is a very adaptable tree suited for downtown and other restricted soil spaces.
Propagation is by cuttings.
Pests
Aphids cause distorted growth and deposits of honeydew.
Scales occasionally affect pears.
Several borers may attack pear. Keep trees healthy to prevent attacks.
Diseases
In tests conducted in Kentucky and Alabama, `Redspire' Callery Pear was light to moderately susceptible to fire blight. Tips of infected branches appear scorched and burnt. The leaves droop, turn brown, but remain hanging on the tree. The bacteria wash down the branch and form cankers. Bark inside the canker often shreds and peels. When a canker girdles a branch, that branch dies. Prune out infected branches well below the infected area.
