Asian Pear

Pyrus pyrifolia, the Asian or nashi pear, is a deciduous fruit tree from China, Korea and Indo-China, reaching twenty to forty feet on its own roots. Cup-shaped white flowers open in early spring, lance-shaped serrated leaves follow, and the round tan-skinned speckled fruit ripens in late summer with crisp, very juicy flesh.

Unlike European pears these ripen fully on the tree and are eaten crisp — there is no softening in the bowl, so picking early gives you a hard, bland pear rather than one that will improve. Most cultivars need a second, different Asian pear nearby to set fruit. Thin the young fruit hard: unthinned trees produce small pears and break branches.