Pyrus spinosa

Pyrus spinosa (syn. Pyrus amygdaliformis), the almond-leaved pear, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae, native to the northern Mediterranean region.^[2][3] It has white flowers which bloom in April–May. The fruits are bitter and astringent. It hybridizes easily with Pyrus communis and Pyrus pyraster.^[4]

Pyrus spinosa
P. spinosa flowers in Italy
Fruit
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Rosaceae
Genus:	Pyrus
Species:	P. spinosa
Binomial name
Pyrus spinosa Forssk.
Synonyms[2]
List Crataegus amygdaliformis (Vill.) Chalon Malus heterophylla Spach Pyrus amygdaliformis Vill. Pyrus amygdaloides Link Pyrus cuneifolia Guss. Pyrus eriopleura Rchb. Pyrus heterophylla (Spach) Steud. Pyrus nivalis Lindl. Pyrus oblongifolia Spach Pyrus parviflora Desf. Pyrus persica Pers. Pyrus sicula Tineo Pyrus spinosa var. diapulidis Dostálek Pyrus spinosa f. lobata (Decne.) Dostálek Pyrus spinosa var. microphylla (Decne.) Browicz Pyrus spinosa var. oblongifolia (Spach) Dostálek Pyrus spinosa var. sinaica (Dum.Cours.) Dostálek

Description

Pyrus spinosa is a spiny shrub or small tree reaching up to about 6 m in height. Young twigs are initially covered in a dense, white woolly hair (villous), but become smooth and hairless (glabrous) as they mature. Its leaves are narrow and variable in shape—ranging from lanceolate (lance‑shaped) or elliptic (oval) to obovate (egg‑shaped with the broader end toward the tip)—and measure about 2.5–5.0 cm long (occasionally up to 7 cm) by 1–2 cm wide (occasionally up to 3 cm). The margin is usually entire (smooth) but may bear shallow, rounded teeth (crenations) near the tip. Leaves may be sessile (attached directly) or carried on short stalks (petioles) up to 2 cm long. When young, the lower surface of each leaf is white‑villous, later becoming smooth on both sides.^[5]

In spring, the species produces many‑flowered clusters (corymbs) whose stalks and bracts are covered in greyish, matted hairs (tomentose). Individual flowers are 2.0–2.5 cm across, with five white petals surrounding a cup‑shaped hypanthium.^[5]

By mid to late summer, the plant bears small pomes (pear‑like fruits) 2–3 cm in diameter. The fruit is nearly spherical (subglobose), yellowish‑brown when ripe, and retains its calyx lobes at the tip. Each fruit is borne singly on a stout, stiff stalk (pedicel) 2–3 cm long.^[5]

Habitat and distribution

Pyrus spinosa is native to the Mediterranean region, with a core range extending through southern Europe into western Anatolia. It typically grows in dry, open forests and scrublands on well‑drained, rocky slopes and at woodland margins, favouring elevations of 1000–2000 m where it often occurs alongside oaks and other drought‑tolerant shrubs. Although principally recorded from Europe and Anatolia, herbarium collections from two sites in western Iran—close to the Turkish border in the Zagros Mountains—confirm its presence there, representing an eastward extension of its known distribution.^[5]

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  Growth form
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  Thorns
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  Leaves
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  Close-up of flowers