Many people have asked what harbin pears look like many times. These are not callery they are harbin.
Very fine (almost hair-like) serration reminds me a bit of venus fly trap.
Looks thorny as well.
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What is known about using ‘Harbin’ as a rootstock?
Here’s a description below on Harbin and other rootstocks from “Deer Association”. Betulifolia = birch-leaf
Note: Callery pear trees are an invasive variety sold widely as an ornamental, most commonly as the “Bradford” cultivar. It is spreading from ornamental plantings, not from being used as rootstock. However, when using Callery as rootstock, if you do not maintain your trees by pruning sucker growth from the rootstock, the suckers could potentially produce Callery fruit. If it is available, opt for Old Home x Farmingdale 97 rootstock.
In zones 4 and 3 (Upper Great Lakes, New England states and Canada), select birch-leaved pear seedlings or Old Home x Farmingdale 97. Birch-leaved pear seedlings produce the largest trees but are slightly less resistant to fireblight and produce more root-sprout suckers than Callery seedlings.
For zone 3, Harbin or Ussurian pear is the most cold-hardy pear species, surviving -50°F during the long Siberian winters. For this reason, it sometimes is used as rootstock in very cold locations. However, Harbin pear has a moderate chilling hour requirement and is severely injured at less than 24° when it breaks dormancy during a warm spring.
Remember that a fireblight-resistant rootstock does not directly give the variety on top more disease resistance; it does provide a more resistant trunk and roots for a healthier foundation. It’s more important to select a rootstock that’s adapted to your location than to select one based on its resistance to fireblight.
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