Medium deciduous tree with an oval to pyramidal form. Mature height of about 10-12 m x 7-10 m wide.

Dense crown of foliage. Leaves are dark green glossy, simple, ovate with undulating margins, alternating on thornless branches, turning red in autumn. Thin, grey-black bark, which can be damaged by mechanical impact. Flowers are pure white and profuse in spring followed by small, pea-sized, red/brown fruits.

Tolerates a wide range of soil conditions including both slightly alkaline and acid soils. Tolerant of drought, poorly drained soils, compaction and air pollution. Grows well in limited soil space in urban areas. Transplants easily.

Prune trees early in their life to space lateral branches along a central trunk, otherwise not a lot of pruning required to develop good structure. Only buy trees with well-spaced branches. Tree will require periodic crown lifting to maintain clearances.
Fruit are persistent on tree with no significant litter problem.
‘Aristocrat’ pear is very susceptible to fire blight (Not an immediate concern in Australia). Trees can be infested with aphids and scale. Borers can attack damaged areas.
Good street tree, car parks, pavement cut outs other restricted soil spaces.

Ref:
Gilman, E. F., (1997), Trees for Urban and Suburban Landscapes, Delmar.

http://hort.ufl.edu/trees/PYRCALA.pdf

Northern trees; as seen at http://orb2.at.ufl.edu/TREESServlet?command=getNorthernTree&classoid=4840
Fleming’s Nurseries, Pty, Ltd, Monbulk, Australia.

Download a printable fact sheet.