Pyrus betulifolia

Pyrus betulifolia, known as the birchleaf pear in English and tang li in Chinese,^[2] is a deciduous wild pear tree native to the leafy forests of northern and central China and Tibet. It can grow 10 meters high in optimal conditions. Formidable thorns (which are modified stems) protect its leaves from predation. These narrow and extended leaves, resembling smaller birch leaves, provide it with its specific name betulifolia, meaning "birch leaf". Its small fruit (5–11 mm (0.20–0.43 in) in diameter) are used as ingredients in types of rice wine in China and sake in Japan. It is used as rootstock for grafting popular Asian pear varieties.^{[citation needed]}

Pyrus betulifolia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Rosaceae
Genus:	Pyrus
Species:	P. betulifolia
Binomial name
Pyrus betulifolia Bunge
Synonyms
Aria betulifolia (Bunge) M. J. Roem. Malus betulifolia (Bunge) Wenzig Sorbus betulifolia (Bunge) Schau.[1]