Plymouth Pear (Pyrus cordata)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vascular plant > flowering plant > Tree |
| Red List Status: | Vulnerable (Not Relevant) [VU(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | Included in the baseline Red List Index for England (Wilkins, Wilson & Brown, 2022) |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Pyrus cordata |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Desv. |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | in Stroh et al., 2014 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Assessed as EN in Stroh et all 2014, with 40-60 genets in England |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Populations now confined to hedgerows in < 5 'native' sites near Plymouth & Truro |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | No |
| Justification: | This species would not benefit from untargeted management |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Relict or natural rarity |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Combination - sufficient |
| Species Comments: | Species has been subject to considerable genetic & ex situ / translocation work since 1990s, with 'new' populations established at > 3 sites in Devon & Cornwall |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Monitor 'native' & new populations, assessing tree health & condition of sites. Undertake remedial action as necessary
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Plymbridge Lane & Estover Road SSSI (Devon). Carrine Common & Penweathers SSSI (Cornwall)
Comments: Careful monitoring of native & new sites may be sufficient to ensure survival of this rare species in England
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Review SSSI coverage for Plymouth Pear populations that lie outside the current network of protected sites and consider the potential for protection through appropriate designations.
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Site protection
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Truro area.
Comments: Discovered in Truro area in 1980, a number of populations have been discovered in local hedgerows subsequent to notification of Carrine Common SSSI.
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Implement sympathetic hedgerow management (either or no cutting) at key sites , particularly for populations lying outside SSSIs
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: Unknown
Scale of Implementation: Unknown
High priority sites: Plymbridge Lane & Estover Road SSSI (Devon). Carrine Common & Penweathers SSSI (Cornwall)
Comments: Some sites have suffered from inappropriate hedgerow management with loss of mature trees (e.g. at Estover in 2012).
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.