Magness Pear Tree
2026 & 2027 Order Options
- IMPORTANT: Please note at Checkout if you would like your order shipped Fall 2026 (November) or Spring 2027 (beginning mid-March)
- Container Delivery Available for Wisconsin
- Local Pickup is FREE
Developed by the USDA in the 1960's for its incredible fire blight resistance, the Magness pear tree is a vigorous grower that rewards patient gardeners with a late-season harvest. The tree is named in honor of Dr. John R. Magness, long time director of the USDA's apple and pear breeding program.
The fruit itself is a dessert-quality masterpiece, boasting a buttery, grit-free texture and an aromatic, honeyed sweetness inherited from its Comice and Seckel parentage. In a unique twist of botanical irony, the Magness is pollen-sterile, meaning it requires a companion tree to set fruit but cannot act as a pollinating partner for its neighbors.
It has a unique ability among pears to fully ripen while still on the tree and is an excellent keeper.
USDA Zone: 5-10
Mature Heights:
OHxF 97: ~17-21' tall; Semi-Dwarf
Sun: Full Sun
Harvest Date: Late August
Pollination: Required