Statue of Unity – Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat Rain Forest Ektanagar

Pyrus pashia

Syn. Pyrus kumaoni

IUCN Red List Least Concern (LC)

Local name

  • Indian wild pear (English)
  • Mehal (Hindi)
  • Heiyu (Manipuri)

Tree type

Evergreen Deciduous
Family: Rosaceae
15m

Indicated uses

Medicinal Edible Ornamental Avenue Other

Flowering & fruiting

Flowering Fruiting

Key characters

Pyrus pashia bark

Bark

Grey to dark grey, coarse and rough; older branches may become dark and some branches are spiny.

Pyrus pashia leaves

Leaves

Leaves are ovate to broadly lance-shaped, long-pointed, toothed, hairless and shining. Leaves are 5-10 cm long, those on sucker shoots are often 3-5-lobed. Young leaves are white-woolly.

Pyrus pashia flower

Flower

Flowers are 2-2.5 cm across, with white obovate petals with darker veins. Sepal cup is urn-shaped with spreading white-woolly sepals. Fruit is round, 1.3-2.5 cm, dark brown, covered with raised pores.

Pyrus pashia fruit / seeds

Fruit / Seeds

Fruit is edible when half-ripen.

Pyrus pashia

Did you know?

Bark juice and mature fruits are traditionally used in northern India and Nepal to dye textiles and wool in earthy brown and charcoal-grey shades.

Distribution

World map showing distribution

Iran to South Central China and Indo-China.