Rosaceae family(Pyrus pyrifolia)
Rosaceae family
The Asian pear is a close relative of the common, or European, pear. Like its European cousin and the apple, its fruit is a pome. Although commonly known as the "pearapple", Asian pears are not derived from hybridization between apples and pears. Asian pear fruit is generally crisper and often somewhat grittier (due to the presence of sclerenchyma cells) than the common pear. It was introduced to California by Chinese gold miners back in the mid 1800s. Cultivars are generally propagated by grafting. It is somewhat less cold-hardy than the pear, and considerably less so than the apple. Like kiwifruit, Asian pears have witnessed a steady increase in both consumer demand and market availability within the last decade.