Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Tree
Fruit
Origin
Mid-Atlantic United States, Southeastern United States, Central United States, South-Central United States
Europe, Western Asia
Types
-
common pear
Number of Varieties
31
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
bottomlands, Depression on prairies, ditches, Floodplains, Riverbanks, stream banks, Swamps
Humid climates, moist forests
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-95-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9-1
9-5
Sunset Zone
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18
Habit
Oval or Rounded
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
1,220.00 cm370.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
1,220.00 cm120.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Brown
White
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Black
Yellow, Dark Red, Sandy Brown
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Light Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Yellow, Light Yellow, Tan
Purple, Dark Green, Burgundy
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oval with a pointed tip and fine teeth along their edges
Ovate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Spring
Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Wet Site, Pollution, Soil Compaction
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Grafting, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires a lot of watering, Requires regular watering
Medium, Water less during winter, Water more in summer, when new, water every week
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune in the late winter or spring, Remove dead or diseased plant parts, Shape and thin as needed
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, No need to fertilize every year
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Red blotch, Sawfly Larvae
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Pollution, Soil Compaction, Wet Site
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
-
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Birds, Butterflies
Allergy
Asthma
Digestive Problems, Itchiness
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Cottage Garden
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Erosion control, Wildlife
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Astringent, Febrifuge, Sedative
Part of Plant Used
Whole plant
Fruits, Wood
Other Uses
used for making roof trusses, poles, joists, piles, Used in construction, Used in Furniture
Shelterbelt, Used as a dye, Used as firewood, Used for woodware
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Shade Trees
Edible, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Topiary / Bonsai / Espalier
Botanical Name
BETULA nigra
PYRUS communis 'Seckel'
Common Name
River Birch
Dessert Pear, Pear, Seckel Pear
In Hindi
River Birch
Seckel Pear
In German
Fluss Birch
Kultur-Birne
In French
Birch river
Poirier commun
In Spanish
river Birch
peral europeo, peral común
In Greek
ποταμός Birch
Seckel Pear
In Portuguese
river Birch
Seckel Pear
In Polish
Rzeka Birch
Grusza pospolita
In Latin
Betula
Seckel Pear
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheobionta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Fagales
Rosales
Family
Betulaceae
Rosaceae
Genus
Betula
Pyrus
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
350
1
27800
👆🏻