Pyrus pyraster

Flower of wild pear

The wild pear (Pyrus pyraster ), also called wood pear, is a deciduous tree. It reaches a height of eight to 20 meters, but also comes as a medium-sized shrub with a height of two to four meters in front. The wild pear has a gray, kleinschuppige bark. It flowers from April to May Unlike the culture shapes the branches are covered with thorns. The plants reach the age of 100 to 150 years.

The fruits have stone cell nests, which ensure the lignification. From the wild pear hundreds have been bred from crop varieties with softer and tastier fruits. The Tree of nutrient- rich and warm lowland forests is mainly distributed in Central Europe in the warmer regions of central and southern Germany; the cultural form occurs everywhere.

The wood of the wild pear is hard, only slightly elastic, but durable and capable polish. It can be used for carpentry, wood turning and carving. In the past it was as imitation of ebony use, see also Swiss pear.

In the mythology of the pear tree is often seen as a place of dragons, witches and demons.

Occurrence,

The distribution area of ​​wild pear ranging from Western Europe to the Caucasus. In northern Europe, it is not common as it is needs warmth. You will be displaced under natural conditions on extremely dry locations and therefore is most common in the dry border of the forest, so to base-rich and shallow soil, south - or west- facing slopes in the central mountain region. But even in riparian forests along the Rhine and the Elbe, it is to be found in nature. They can be planted on the other hand, most of the sites, as long as it gets enough light - only acidic or waterlogged they should not be, and even freezing layers are unsuitable. So far, almost insignificant, are virtually no experience of their treatment or incentives in mixed stands. Due to the increased efforts of the forestry industry in the recent past, can change that. Currently, the wild pear is in different states on the red list of endangered species.

Use, environmental benefits

Wild Pear wood is highly sought after, but hard to get on the wood market due to its rarity. The few wild pear tribes often go to collector's prices in the cabinet making and find there a substitute for walnut (stained for ebony ) or valuable veneer and inlay work use. It has a pale -red to pale reddish - brown color, can the so-called false core but also darker and is usually steamed before further use. The wood is hard, heavy and relatively permanent - in some old wooden house still bear centuries- old pear wood beams, the heavy blankets. It can work very well.

In addition to this use of the wood, the wild pear - like all wild fruit - a high environmental benefits, especially because of their important for many insects flowers and important for wildlife fruits (eg dormice, marten, badger, hedgehog ).

Medicine, Mythology and Folklore

From pear blossom tea can be effective in pyelonephritis prepare. The young, still closed flower buds give a tasty side salad. Pear juice is used as a cure for general detoxification of the body. From 25 pounds of pears cores were obtained 3 pounds of edible oil in times of need. In addition, they spoke the pear tree and the ability to be able to remove the people effectively pain and disease, especially in case of toothache, gout and tuberculosis. Pear and apple trees are " the couple " in the orchard: the apple tree has been associated since ancient times with the feminine, the pear tree symbolized the male. An old country saying says: "If you want a heifer, the afterbirth of a cow bury under an apple tree, you want the next time a bull calf, the afterbirth bury under a pear tree. " For a love oracle young men should go under an apple tree, girl under a pear tree. In the rough nights between Christmas and New Year they got information about the coming year, for example by girls at midnight crept under a pear tree, slipped from their wooden shoes and threw them on the tree. Stay up hanging in the branches, a beautiful youth would get stuck at the girl next year.