Pyronia veitchii
Taxonomy and growth
Uses
Edible uses
Fruit - raw or cooked[1]. Rather like a small pear, it has a good flavour when fully ripe[2]. The fruit is usually seedless.
- Plant part
- Fruit
Environment
- Range
- A garden hybrid, Cydonia oblonga var. 'Portugal' x Pyrus communis 'Bergamotte Esperen'.
- Habitat
- Not known in the wild.
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- no shade
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- Zone 6+
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline
- Drainage
- well drained
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
Seed - the fruit is usually seedless and, since it is a bi-generic hybrid, even if seed is produced it is not going to breed true. If you do come across seed then it is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Sow stored seed in late winter in a cold frame. The seed may take 12 months or more to germinate. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in late spring of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, June/July in a frame, or of mature wood, November in a frame, can be tried but are unlikely to bring much success. The most productive means of propagation are budding or grafting.
Cultivation
Prefers a good well-drained loamy soil in a sunny position[2]. Tolerates atmospheric pollution[2]. This plant is a bi-generic hybrid between a quince and a pear[2]. The main flowering time is in the spring but plants often also produce flowers in the autumn[2].
References
Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5