Pyrus prunifolia is a small tree, young twigs finely hairy.
Leaves alternate, elliptic to egg-shaped, 5-10 cm long, tip pointed, base blunt, margin sharply toothed, hairy on veins below, stalks slender, 2-5 cm; leaves expand late April-early May (Britton 1874).
Flowers white, 3 cm wide, on individual stalks 2-3.5 cm long, very slender; blooms mid-April (Britton 1874).
Fruit fleshy over cartilaginous, seedy core, rounded, about 2 cm diameter, red or yellow, top with persistent sepals, (not depressed) joined at base into a short, fleshy tube, lobes longer than tube, narrow, pointed, fruit stem inserted into a depression, persistent into winter (Rehder, 1986).
Wetland status: NL.
Frequency in NYC: Very infrequent in natural areas.
Origin: E. Asia.
Habitat: Usually an ornamental but often adjacent to natural areas.
Notes: Many hybrids and cultivars.