Pros & Cons of a Cleveland Select Pear Tree

Part of the pyrus calleryana, along with the Aristocrat, Autumn Blaze, Redspire and Bradford pear trees, the Chanticleer or Cleveland Select is an ornamental pear tree created in Cleveland, Ohio. The tree is medium sized and grows 30 feet tall and 15 feet wide. This rapidly growing ornamental tree is weather-, urban- and cold-tolerant, but it has been found to spread quickly and become invasive.

The Cleveland Select pear tree is hardy. It can withstand high winds and severe storms. The tree is cold tolerant and can handle ice storms. The Cleveland Select hardens earlier in the fall, so the ice and cold, particularly during early frosts, do not harm the tree. This resistance gives the tree a longer life span than the Bradford pear. Of the pyrus calleryana trees, the Cleveland Select is considered one of the hardiest trees.

Cleveland Select pear trees are resistant to fire blight. The trees thrive in urban settings. Their branches do not break easily when compared other pear trees. The Cleveland Select tolerates dry and well-drained, moist soils. It thrives in full sun and is hardy in USDA hardiness zones 5 through 8.

Cleveland Select pear trees produce clusters of white blossoms with 2- to 3-inch petals in the spring before the leaves appear on the tree. It has more blossoms than other pear trees. The leaves are glossy and oval shaped, and the tree has an appealing pyramidal shape. This tree has brilliant yellow, orange, purple and red leaves during the fall. The tree is bred for ornamental purposes, and is fruitless.

Cleveland Select pear trees are showing up in areas they were never intended to grow. Some have produced fruit, which they were never intended to do, and the seeds are easily spread. They grow wild and multiply rapidly. Their rapid expansion has disturbed railroads, parks and roadways, especially with the added bird populations. Seedlings are not the same as their parents either, and they have large thorns and grow in dense formations.