Pyrus glabra explained

Pyrus glabra, (Persian: انچوچک, referring to the seeds), is a species wild pear native to Iran.^[1] Preferring to grow in the Zagros Mountains at about 2000m above sea level, it is a small, spiny tree, typically 4.6m tall, reaching 7.8m.^[2] The plant was said to exude a sweet substance called manna of Luristan, which was collected by locals and consumed.^[3] Its fruit are heavy with tannins and very sour, but are still gathered in the wild for the vegetable oil in the seeds, which are larger than typical pear seeds.^[4] The oil keeps for a long time and is high in omega-6 fatty acids.^[5]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Pyrus glabra Boiss. . . 2017 . Plants of the World Online . Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . 21 September 2020 .
2. Hamzehpour . M. . Sagheb-Talebi . Khosro . Bordbar . K. . Joukar . L. . Pakparvar . M. . Abbasi . A. R. . 2011 . Impact of environmental factors on distribution of wild pear (Pyrus glabra Boiss.) in Sepidan region, Fars province. . Iranian Journal of Forest and Poplar Research . 18 . 4 . 499–516 . 130407090 . 21 September 2020 .
3. Book: Sturtevant, Edward Lewis . Hedrick . U. P. . Sturtevant's Notes on Edible Plants . J.B. Lyon company, State printers . Albany . 1919 .
4. Book: 9781603586665 . The Book of Pears: The Definitive History and Guide to over 500 Varieties . Morgan . Joan . 2015 .
5. 10.1002/ejlt.201700284 . Characteristics of Wild Pear (Pyrus glabra Boiss) Seed Oil and Its Oil-in-Water Emulsions: A Novel Source of Edible Oil . 2018 . Hashemi . Seyed Mohammad Bagher . Khaneghah . Amin Mousavi . Barba . Francisco J. . Lorenzo . José M. . Rahman . Mohammad Shafiur . Amarowicz . Ryszard . Yousefabad . Seyed Hossein Asadi . Movahed . Mehrnoosh Dabiri . European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology . 120 . 2 .