杏叶梨 xing ye li

Trees to 8–12 m tall. Branchlets purplish brown when young, dark gray or reddish brown when old, terete, glabrous, sparsely lenticellate; buds narrowly ovoid, sparsely tomentose only at margin of scales, apex acuminate. Stipules caducous, linear-lanceolate, 5–8 mm, membranous, pilose, margin serrate, apex acuminate; petiole 2–3 cm, thick, glabrous; leaf blade broadly ovate or suborbicular, 4–5 × 4–5 cm, lateral veins 8–10 pairs, both surfaces glabrous, base rounded or truncate, margin obtusely serrate, apex acute or rounded-obtuse. Raceme umbel-like, 6–10-flowered; peduncle glabrous or subglabrous; bracts caducous, linear-lanceolate, 5–8 mm, membranous, margin sparsely glandular serrate when young, apex acuminate. Pedicel 2.3–3 cm; subglabrous. Flowers 2–3 cm. Hypanthium cupular, abaxially glabrous. Sepals ovate-lanceolate, ca. 6 mm, adaxially brown tomentose, margin entire, apex acuminate. Petals white, obovate or broadly obovate, 1–1.5 × 0.7–0.9 cm, base shortly clawed, apex rounded. Stamens 20–22, ca. 1/2 as long as petals. Ovary 3- or 4-loculed, with 2 ovules per locule; styles 4 or 5, nearly as long as stamens, glabrous. Pome yellowish green, with few dots, depressed-globose, 2.5–3 cm in diam., 4- or 5-loculed; fruiting pedicel 2.5–3 cm, Glabrous; sepals persistent. Fl. Apr–May, fr. Aug–Sep. 2n = 51*.

Cultivated in orchards. N Xinjiang (Tacheng Xian).

This species is characterized by its broadly ovate or suborbicular leaves, and might be allied to Pyrus xerophila, differing in its ovate or narrowly ovate leaf blade with serrate margin and acuminate apex, and ovoid or ellipsoid fruit.