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

The flowering dogwood The flowering dogwood (Corhus florida) is another great choice for the landscape as an alternative to the dreadful Bradford pear. —Campbell Vaughn, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026

The story of the Bradford pear stretches back to the early 1900s, writes Purdue. —John Tufts, IndyStar, 1 Apr. 2026

Well, the best thing about this story is that your Bradford pear blew down. —Steve Bender, Southern Living, 1 Apr. 2026

Another problematic plant, very noticeable in spring, is the Bradford pear tree (Pyrus calleryana). —Markis Hill, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2026

Kitti Cooper, owner of Cooper Farm, a tree nursery that specializes in citrus trees The Worst Fruit Tree to Grow Bradford pear trees certainly look beautiful—but that's where the upsides of this problematic plant end. —Helena Madden, Martha Stewart, 14 Mar. 2026

Other species on the list include: the Bradford pear tree, bush honeysuckle, Chinese privet, tree of heaven, golden bamboo, English ivy and Nandina, also known as heavenly bamboo. —Nwa Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 25 Feb. 2026

Bradford Pear Trees Bradford pear trees have notoriously weak limbs. —David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 12 Feb. 2026

Particularly devious were the honeysuckle leaf, privet and the Bradford pear. —Keith Sharon, Nashville Tennessean, 17 Apr. 2025

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

Rhymes for Bradford pear

• aftercare
• anywhere
• billionaire
• chinaware
• debonair
• dinnerware
• disrepair
• doctrinaire
• earthenware
• everywhere
• frigidaire
• kitchenware