Side by side
Apple or nashi pear? How to tell them apart
Malus · Pyrus pyrifolia
How to tell them apart – apple: leaves felted underneath, pink buds and true apples; nashi pear: pear tree with glossy, long-pointed leaves with bristle-tipped teeth, white blossom and round, apple-shaped pears.
How do you recognise them?
- Apple
- Fruit tree with oval leaves that are felted underneath, pinkish-white blossom and apples.
- Compared with nashi pear: leaves felted underneath, pink buds and true apples.
- Nashi pear
- Pear tree with glossy, long-pointed leaves with bristle-tipped teeth, white blossom and round, apple-shaped pears.
| Apple | Nashi pear | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate, oval, 5–10 cm, toothed; grey-felted underneath (almost hairless in the wild crab apple). | Alternate, ovate, 7–12 cm, long-pointed, sharply toothed with bristle-tipped teeth, glossy; fine red autumn colour. |
| Flowering | Pink buds opening to white flowers in April–May (April–May). | White flowers (3 cm) in clusters, April, with the leaves (April). |
| Fruit | Apples; on ornamental crab apples, small fruits (1–3 cm) that hang on for a long time. | Round, yellowish-brown (with pale speckles) or greenish-yellow pears (6–10 cm), crisp and very juicy, August–September. |
| Bark | Greyish-brown, flaking in plates. | Greyish-brown, later cracked into small blocks. |
| Shape and height | Fruit tree, 3–10 m | Fruit tree, 4–8 m |
| Site | Full sun, any garden soil, normal | Full sun, any garden soil, normal |
| Native to Belgium | No, naturalised | No, planted |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for bees, butterflies and birds | – |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | July–August and December–March | July–August and December–March |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Choose what suits your soil, your light and the space you have: see the growing conditions in the table.
Read on
- Plant profile: Apple
- Plant profile: Nashi pear
- Apple: when and how to prune
- Nashi pear: when and how to prune
- Identification key
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Identify by feature
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.