Pyrus.] B08ACEJE, 329^ 



P. Pasliia, Buch.-Ham. in Don Prod. 236 ; F. B. I. ii, 374 ; Royle III 

 206 ; Brand. For. Fl, 204.—Yevn. Mehal. 



A medium-sized deciduous tree, with the young parts woolly, Branchlets 

 of young trees often spinescent. Leaves k-l in. long, orate or ovate- 

 lanceolate, acuminate, crenulate, or serrulate when young, turning 

 hlack and glabrous when old. Cymes corymbose or subumbellate, 

 woolly; pedicels i-2 in. long, stout in fruit. Flowers 1 in. across. 

 Galyx-lohes ovate, acute, usually woolly outside, deciduous. Petal's 

 white and pink. Styles 3-5, free, woolly towards the base. Fruit |-1| 

 in. in diam., globose, yellowish-brown, scurfy and covered with raised 

 white spots. 



Abundant in Debra Dun. Distbib, Temperate Himalaya, from 

 Kashmir to Bhotan, up to 8,000 ft., Khasia Hills, Ava ; also in Yunan. 

 Flowers Feb.- March in Dehra Dun, and the fruit ripens from Sept. to' 

 Dec. The fruit is eaten by the natives, but not until it is over-ripe. 

 The wood is used for making walking sticks, tobacco pipes and other 

 articles ; and the foliage is lopped for fodder. 



P. sinensis, Lindl. ; BC.L'Orig. PI. Cult. 186 ; P. sinica, Boyle III. 206. 

 Vern. Naslipati (China pear). This is the Pear-tree as cultivated in 

 the plains of N. India. It bears an extremely hard fruit, which is fit 

 to eat only when cooked. It forms, however, an excellent stock on 

 which to graft good varieties of the European pear (P. communis, Linn.).. 

 Some experiments recently undertaken at the Saharanpur garden with 

 two kinds introduced from Florida, have been successful so far as to 

 show that fruit equal in quality to some of the best European kinds can 

 be obtained by grafting. The fruit of these grafted trees, which ripens 

 at Saharanpur in August, has to be very carefully protected from 

 hornets, wasps and birds, and the shrivelling of the stalus during very 

 hot weather often causes the fruit to fall before it is fit for picking. The 

 stock used in Florida, and known under the name of ' Sand Pear,' is no 

 doubt the same as our Indian plains pear. According to Decandolle it 

 is quite distinct from the European species (P. communis), and is 

 found wild in Mongolia and Manchuria. It is cultivated in China and 

 Japan. 



The Apple (Pyrus Malus, Linn.) is grown to a small extent in gardens 

 within the area, but the fruit is very inferior ; excellent kinds are, 

 however, easily obtainable from the neighbouring hills. 



Eryobotrya japonica, Lindl.; W. ^ A. Prod. 302 ; D. Sf G. Bomh. Fl. 

 Suppl. 32 ; F. B. I. ii, 372 ; Watt E. D. Mespilus japonica, Thunh. ; 

 Boxh. Fl. Ind. ii, 510. Photinia japonica, Brand. For. Fl. 575. (The' 

 Loquat tree.) A native of China and Japan. Largely cultivated within 

 the area, and usually propagated by layers. At Saharanpur, where the 

 tree thrives to perfection, two distinct varieties are grown, one with a 

 large pear-shaped golden-coloured very sweet fruit, often containing 

 only a single stone, and ripening towards the end of March ; the other' 

 with a smaller round pale-coloured many-stoned fruit, ripening a little 

 later and rather acid. 



