Pyrus betulifolia Bunge

This species is a common tree in N China, and is often planted in gardens and parks for ornamental purposes, preferring sunny, dry, sandy, loamy soils. It is usually used as stock to graft various pear cultivars.

Trees to 10 m tall, often spinescent. Branchlets purplish brown when old, terete, gray tomentose when young, sparsely tomentose or glabrous when old, sparsely lenticellate; buds ovoid, abaxially gray tomentose, apex acuminate. Stipules caducous, linear-lanceolate, ca. 2 mm, membranous, both surfaces tomentose, margin initially glandular serrate, apex acuminate; petiole 2–3 cm, gray tomentose; leaf blade rhomboidal-ovate or oblong-ovate, 4–8 × 2.5–3.5 cm, abaxially sparsely tomentose or subglabrous, adaxially gray tomentose when young, glabrous and shiny when old, base broadly cuneate, rarely subrounded, margin serrate, apex acuminate. Raceme umbel-like, 10–15-flowered; peduncle gray tomentose; bracts caducous, linear, 5–8 mm, membranous, both surfaces slightly tomentose, margin entire, apex acuminate. Pedicel 2–2.5 cm, densely gray tomentose when young. Flowers 1.5–2 cm in diam. Hypanthium cupular, abaxially gray tomentose. Sepals triangular-ovate, ca. 3 mm, both surfaces tomentose, margin entire, apex acute. Petals white, broadly ovate, 5–8 × 3–4 mm, base shortly clawed, apex rounded. Stamens 20, ca. 1/2 as long as petals. Ovary 2- or 3-loculed, with 2 ovules per locule; styles 2 or 3, nearly as long as stamens, sparsely pubescent basally. Pome brown, with pale dots, subglobose, 5–10 mm in diam., 2- or 3-loculed; sepals caducous; fruiting pedicels 1–2.5 cm, gray tomentose when young, glabrescent. Fl. Apr, fr. Aug–Sep. 2n = 34*.

Anhui, Gansu, Guizhou, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Xizang, Zhejiang [Laos].

Open slopes, plains; sea level to 1800 m.

Pyrus betulifolia, known as the birchleaf pear in English and tang li in Chinese, is a deciduous wild pear tree native to the leafy forests of northern and central China and Tibet. It can grow 10 meters high in optimal conditions. Formidable thorns (which are modified stems) protect its leaves from predation. These narrow and extended leaves, resembling smaller birch leaves, provide it with its specific name betulifolia, meaning "birch leaf". Its small fruit (5–11 mm (0.20–0.43 in) in diameter) are used as ingredients in types of rice wine in China and sake in Japan. It is used as rootstock for grafting popular asian pear varieties.