Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Fruit
Tree
Origin
Europe, Western Asia
Southeastern United States, Mexico, Caribbean, Central America
Types
common pear
Guaiacum officinale
Number of Varieties
13
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Humid climates, moist forests
Coastal Regions, Dry and Young forest Heaths, Thickets, Woodlands
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-910-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9-5
12-10
Sunset Zone
2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18
H1, H2
Habit
Oval or Rounded
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
370.00 cm300.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
120.00 cm370.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White
Purple, Violet, Blue Violet
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Yellow, Dark Red, Sandy Brown
Yellow, Red
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green, Olive
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Dark Green, Burgundy
Green, Olive
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
Olive
Shape
Leaf Shape
Ovate
Egg-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Very Slow
Type of Soil
Loam
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Spring
Early Spring, Spring, Late Winter, Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought, Salt
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Grafting, Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Medium, Water less during winter, Water more in summer, when new, water every week
Requires watering in the growing season
In Summer
Lots of watering
Consistently
In Spring
Moderate
Average Water
In Winter
Average Water
Moderate
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Prune to stimulate growth
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Fertilize three times a year
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
fungus, Mealybugs, Scale, Spider mites
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought, Salt
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Butterflies
Birds, Butterflies
Allergy
Digestive Problems, Itchiness
Skin irritation
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Cottage Garden
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Astringent, Febrifuge, Sedative
-
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Wood
Bark, Sap
Other Uses
Shelterbelt, Used as a dye, Used as firewood, Used for woodware
used for making roof trusses, poles, joists, piles, Used in construction, Used in Furniture
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Topiary / Bonsai / Espalier
Container, Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Tropical
Botanical Name
PYRUS communis 'Seckel'
GUAIACUM sanctum
Common Name
Dessert Pear, Pear, Seckel Pear
Holy-wood, Lignum Vitae
In Hindi
Seckel Pear
Lignum Vitae
In German
Kultur-Birne
Lignum Vitae
In French
Poirier commun
Lignum Vitae
In Spanish
peral europeo, peral común
Palo santo
In Greek
Seckel Pear
Lignum Vitae
In Portuguese
Seckel Pear
pau-santo
In Polish
Grusza pospolita
Lignum Vitae
In Latin
Seckel Pear
lignum Vitae
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheobionta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Rosales
Sapindales
Family
Rosaceae
Zygophyllaceae
Genus
Pyrus
Guaiacum
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
-
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
503
1
27800
👆🏻