Seckel pear facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Seckel pear
Genus	Pyrus
Species	Pyrus communis
Hybrid parentage	wild seedling
Cultivar	Seckel
Origin	Pennsylvania

The Seckel pear is a small, very sweet type of pear. It is also called the sugar pear because it's so sweet! People believe it first grew in Pennsylvania, USA.

How the Seckel Pear Got Its Name

An old drawing of the Seckel pear from 1921.

This special pear is named after a farmer from Pennsylvania. He was the first person to share it with others in the late 1700s.

Even Thomas Jefferson, a famous American president, grew Seckel pears. He said they were better than any pears he had tasted in France! Another expert, A. J. Downing, also thought Seckel pears tasted amazing. He even liked them more than pears from Europe.

All About the Seckel Pear Tree

The Seckel pear tree is not very big. It usually grows to be about 15 to 20 feet tall. It is also about 10 feet wide.

The tree has light gray bark, which is the outer layer of its trunk. It looks a lot like an apple tree. In the middle of spring, the tree gets pretty white flowers.

This tree is very strong and can handle cold weather. It also resists frost, which is frozen dew. The Seckel pear tree can even fight off a plant disease called fire blight.

What Seckel Pears Are Like

Seckel pears are a type of winter pear. This means they are picked in the fall. After harvesting, you can store them for about five months.

The fruit is very sweet and has a crunchy texture. It has a slightly rougher inside than most European pears. Seckel pears are also very small. They are usually less than 3 inches long and wide.

See also

Learn more in Spanish: Seckel (pera) para niños