PLANT OF THE MONTH
Spetember 2007
Pyrus
ussuriensis ‘MorDak
Prairie Gem
Flowering Pear
Type: flowering tree
Height: 15-25’
Hardiness: Zone 4-9
Light requirements: Sun to part shade
Bloom Color: white
Fall color: orange to yellow
MorDak’ has semi-glossy, leathery,
deep emerald-green foliage, thick twigs and a very dense, globose tree
form. These attributes result in a markedly superior clone for landscape
use, compared to seedling Ussurian Pear. Prairie Gem® produces white flowers
which blanket the tree in spring. It has been very winterhardy at numerous
North Dakota sites. It appeared to suffer minor winter injury only one year
at our most northern site, the NDSU Langdon Research Center. It is a good
substitute in zones 3 and 4 for P. calleryana (Callery Pear)
cultivars, due to insufficient winter hardiness of the latter. It does not
fruit unless a different Pyrus pollinator tree is near. This can be
an advantage, particularly in isolated rural areas, because the 1 ¼ inch
yellow fruits are not of culinary value. The cultivar displays excellent
resistance to fireblight, but it is undoubtedly not immune. It will
reach semi-mature height of 25 feet in 15 to 20 years. Available in
commercial nursery trade. Hardy in USDA Zone 3.
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