Side by side

Quince or pear? How to tell them apart

Cydonia oblonga · Pyrus communis

You can tell a quince by its oval, smooth-edged leaves with a white-felted underside, its large pale pink flowers borne singly in May and its golden, downy fruit; a pear has glossy, hairless leaves on a long stalk, white blossom in clusters in April and smooth pears.

Turn a leaf over: grey to white-felted on the quince, hairless and glossy on the pear. The edge is smooth on the quince, finely scalloped on the pear. Quince flowers sit singly at the tips of short shoots, large and pale pink; pear flowers are in clusters, white with red anthers. The quince has twisting branches, the pear steeply rising ones.

Updated on 12 October 2026

Photo: Klaas "Z4us" V, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

Quince Cydonia oblonga

Photo: Rasbak, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

Pear Pyrus communis

Quince and pear side by side
	Quince	Pear
Leaves	Alternate, 5–10 cm, oval, untoothed; dark green above, grey- to white-felted below.	Alternate, round to oval with a pointed tip, 3–8 cm, finely toothed and glossy; long leaf stalk.
Flowering	Large, pale pink flowers (4–5 cm) borne singly on short shoots, in May, after the leaves (May).	White flowers with red anthers in April, a little earlier than apple (April).
Fruit	Pear- or apple-shaped, golden-yellow fruits (8–12 cm) with a downy coat and a strong fragrance. Hard and astringent raw, delicious cooked (jelly, quince cheese).	Pears.
Bark	Smooth, greyish-brown and flaking in plates; twisting branches.	Dark grey, cracked into small square blocks.
Shape and height	Fruit tree, 4–7 m	Fruit tree, 4–15 m
Site	Full sun, any garden soil, normal	Full sun, any garden soil, normal
Native to Belgium	No, planted	No, naturalised
Good for bees, butterflies and birds	Yes, for bees	Yes, for bees and birds
Poisonous to people and pets	Not known to be poisonous	Not known to be poisonous
Pruning months	December–February	July–August and December–March

The best feature in each season

Spring: The pear flowers in April, a little before the apple, with white flowers in clusters. The quince only flowers in May, after its leaves, with large pale pink flowers of 4–5 cm.
Summer: The fruit swells: downy and greenish-yellow on the quince, smooth on the pear. The quince leaf is dark green with a felted underside.
Autumn: The quince bears golden, pear- or apple-shaped fruit of 8–12 cm with a downy coat and a strong scent: hard and astringent raw, delicious cooked. Pears are harvested from August to October depending on the variety.
Winter: Look at the bark and shape: smooth, grey-brown and flaking in small plates, with twisting branches, on the quince; dark grey and cracked into small squares, with steeply rising branches, on the pear.

Where do they grow?

Here both grow mainly in gardens and orchards. The quince comes from south-west Asia and likes a warm, sunny spot. After the apple, the pear is the best-known fruit tree in our gardens.

Which one for your garden?

At 4–7 m the quince stays small, is self-fertile and needs little pruning, but it wants a warm spot to ripen its fruit. The pear usually needs a second variety nearby for pollination.
Both are susceptible to fireblight: keep the crown airy and do not plant hawthorn, cotoneaster or firethorn right next to the tree. With the quince, clear up fallen leaves against leaf blight.

Did you know? Many pear trees in our gardens are grafted onto quince rootstock: that keeps the pear small and makes it fruit sooner.

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