Bradford pear

noun

Brad·​ford pear ˈbrad-fərd- 

variants or less commonly Bradford Callery pear or Bradford callery pear

: a widely planted ornamental deciduous tree that is a thornless and fruitless cultivar of the Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana)

The major problem with Bradford pears is that its upright habit in youth produces a weak branch structure. Branches may split off as the tree ages.

—The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, Louisiana)

Examples of Bradford pear in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But somewhere along the line other Callery pear trees and Bradford pear trees cross-pollinated and some began producing viable fruit. —Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024

Where did the Bradford pear originate? Often referred to as the Bradford pear, Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana) is a species native to much of China and a few other small pockets across Asia. —Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 22 Mar. 2024

Out front, a loud neon sign loomed over the sidewalk between Bradford pear trees. —David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 16 Feb. 2024

Privet, nandina, Bradford pear, porcelain berry and Asian bittersweet are all invasive berried plants that have spread courtesy of bird dispersal. —Tovah Martin, Washington Post, 16 Nov. 2023

In addition to its spring flowers, Bradford pear tree foliage turns a beautiful dark red in the fall. —Susan Brownstein, cleveland, 17 Jan. 2023

The Bradford pear also has a poor branch structure, so the trees don’t fare well in storms. —From Usa Today Network and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2022

The Bradford pear and Cleveland Select pear are common varieties of the non-native trees, which first came to the United States from East Asia in the 1950s and '60s. —Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 12 Apr. 2022

The downsides of the Bradford pear were subtle at first. —New York Times, 26 Nov. 2021

Word History

Etymology

after Frederick Charles Bradford †1950 U.S. horticulturist

Note: In regard to Frederick Bradford (1887-1950) and the introduction of the pear, see W. E. Whitehouse, et al., "A New Flowering Shade Tree—The 'Bradford' Pear," American Horticultural Magazine, vol. 42 (1963), p. 151: "This ornamental pear honors the late F.C. Bradford, formerly horticulturist in charge of the U.S. Plant Introduction Station, Glenn Dale, Maryland, and was released recently by the Crops Research Division [of the U.S. Department of Agriculture] for trial as a shade tree." There is further detail in "U.S. Plant Introduction Station, Glenn Dale, MD," Maryland Historical Trust Inventory Form PG 70-54 (prepared in 1996; available from msa.maryland.gov): "One of the events that generated immense activity for the Glenn Dale station in its later history was the release of the Bradford pear in 1960. The tree was named for Frederick Bradford, the Superintendent of the station prior to J.L. Creech, by Dr. J.L. Creech and Dr. Whitehouse (Whitehouse was incidentally Bradford's brother-in-law). Bradford, who had lived in Cottage #1 (Building 32), had died at the station" (Section 8, page 40). On the role of J.L. Creech, see Angela L. Todd, "Biographies of the agricultural explorers of the USDA's Bureau of Plant Industry, 1897-1955: Part I, A-F," Huntia, vol. 14, no. 1 (2009), pp. 73-75.

First Known Use

1964, in the meaning defined above