Common Name:

General Information

Pyronia veitchii is a deciduous shrub or small tree that can grow up to 5 metres tall
Occasionally grown as an ornamental, the edible fruit has a good flavour.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

A garden hybrid, Cydonia oblonga var. 'Portugal' x Pyrus communis 'Bergamotte Esperen'

Habitat

Not known in the wild.

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	5.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental

Cultivation Details

Prefers a good well-drained loamy soil in a sunny position[]. Tolerates atmospheric pollution[].
This plant is a bi-generic hybrid between a quince and a pear[].
The main flowering time is in the spring but plants often also produce flowers in the autumn[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[]. Rather like a small pear, it has a good flavour when fully ripe[]. The fruit is usually seedless. The fruit is rounded, with a pear-like, firm, white, juicy flesh of good flavour[, ], and ripens in mid Autumn, earlier than the seed-parent[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

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, early summer/July in a frame, or of mature wood, late autumn in a frame, can be tried but are unlikely to bring much success. The most productive means of propagation are budding or grafting.