Pyrus

Pyrus, a genus of trees and shrubs of the natural order Rosaceæ, sub-order Pomeæ, having a five-celled fruit, with a cartilaginous endocarp and two seeds in each cell. It includes species differing very much in appearance, in foliage, and in almost everything except the characters of the flower and fruit, and formerly constituting the genera Sorbus, Aria, Aronia, &c., or included in Mespilus (see MEDLAR) and Crataegus. Some botanists separate the Apples (Malus) as a distinct genus. Amongst the species of Pyrus are some of the most valuable fruits of temperate climates and some highly ornamental trees and shrubs. See APPLE, PEAR, SERVICE, ROWAN, BEAM-TREE. The so-called Pyrus japonica is really a Cydonia; see QUINCE.