It sure looks like a Bradford pear. What do others think? BTW, it's not edible if it is. Makes a nice, fast growing ornamental.

It's not a Bradford Pear. Bradford Pear trees don't have thorns.

Email it to the Master Gardener Hotline for Greene County and see what they say... greenemg@missouri.edu

The only thing that comes to mind is wild plums. They have thorns and have very small fruit. Usually wildlife gets the fruit by this time.

It may not be a Bradford pear, but trust me, Bradford pears have thorn like things on the fruit bearing twigs. I ripped my hand open on one a couple of weeks ago. My husband didn't believe me... about the thorns. I had to take him out and show him the nasty barbs. The spikes may not technically be thorns but they sure act and feel like it. It's likely not a Bradford because as Glenda mentions, it's probably too late for any fruit to still be on the tree.

{{gwi:1117785}}

I've had Bradford and Aristocrat Pears before. This is definitely not that. Also the fuit has a single seed in it. I will try the Masrer Gardner Hotline as suggested by violet z6 and post their response

This thread is a great example of the difference between plants when using common names vs Latin names. The only way to know for sure what a plant is exactly, is via it's Latin name.

There can be common names for plants (like "Bradford Pear" that actually refer to different cultivars). It would probably be more correct to call the thorned variety you have "callery pear". While all Bradford Pears are Pyrus calleryana, not all Pyrus calleryana, n are Bradford Pears.

The Bradford Pear by definition was originally bred to be sterile and thornless. However they readily cross-pollinate with other varieties of callery pears. Bradford Pears were planted in abundance several years ago because they're a fast growing tree with a shape that people like. The downfall of the tree is that because it grows fast and because of it's narrow branching habit, the branches tend to split from storms or from weight. They are also short lived, about 15-25 years.

Any true Bradford Pear tree is thornless. If you have one that has thorns, it's a hybrid and not a true Bradford Pear.

Thanks for this thread, it was interesting to do the research and learn more about the differences! (Clemson University)

As for the photo in the original post, I would agree with gldno1 that there's a good chance it is wild plum.

Here is a link that might be useful: Photos of

Looks like the folks that said wild plum were right. It's called American Plumb and apparently is native to much of the U.S. A small thorny shrub or tree grows to 15' or so with gnarly branches and small fruits. Thanks everyone.

My Mother was picking up Pears from out trees the day before she died. Afterward, I dumped a wheelbarrow load beyond our driveway--some came up. The result now, 30+ years later, is a pear tree, with thorns--but the pears are tiny, hard, ans shaped like a Delicious Apple. Inedible.