Tree of the Week showcases some of the biggest and most beautiful trees in the GTA, as compiled by Megan Ogilvie. Here, we help Robert Holland tell his story about a rare variety of pear tree that grows in Scarborough near a bus stop on busy Lawrence Ave. E.

Robert Holland never expected to see an ancient specimen of his favourite fruit tree in Toronto.

The Toronto lawyer and full-time tree enthusiast thought he knew where to find most old Jesuit pears in Ontario.

Jesuit pears are a rare variety of fruit tree thought to have originated in France. It’s believed the Jesuit pear came to North America in the 1700s when Jesuit missionary priests brought seedlings to colonial settlements in what are now Canada and the United States. Most very old Jesuit pears in Ontario grow in the fields of southwestern Ontario.

And so Holland was surprised when, two years ago, a fellow tree admirer told him about a large Jesuit pear growing near a bus stop on Lawrence Ave. E. in Scarborough, hundreds of kilometres from others of its kind.

Holland, who rushed to see it for himself, still recalls the thrill of confirming its identity.

“It’s special because it’s the only one west of Essex County and Chatham-Kent (in southwestern Ontario), that I know of,” Holland said. “It’s important because now we know they can survive — and thrive — in this region.”

In Michigan, across the Detroit River, this tree variety is equally rare and is known as the mission pear for its possible connection with Jesuit missionaries, Holland said.

The Scarborough Jesuit pear tree, which grows on the front lawn of an apartment complex, is well-known in the neighbourhood, Holland said.

In the spring, its long branches are covered in white blooms. In August, people come to harvest its round, green pears known for their sweetness.

Holland can only guess at the tree’s history. But he believes the tree, which he estimates to be about 200 years old, may have a connection to the neighbouring property that was once owned by a Methodist church and is now Precious Blood Roman Catholic Parish.

Xavier De Pinto, reverend of Precious Blood Parish, told the Star that Toronto businessman Frank O’Connor, founder of Laura Secord Chocolates and Canadian senator, bought the Methodist church (which had been shuttered) in 1932 and gifted it to the Archdiocese of Toronto. A new church was built on the property in 1954 and the old one torn down in 1965, De Pinto said.

While he can’t verify Holland’s claims about the origins of the neighbouring Jesuit pear, De Pinto calls the tree a welcome “oasis” in a busy urban neighbourhood.

“We didn’t know the history that was right next to us all this time,” he said. “I know some of the parishioners harvest the pears. Scarborough is so urban, it’s kind of nice that you can still go and pick fruit from a tree.”

Holland regularly visits the Scarborough Jesuit pear tree. He wants people to know of its history when they stand in its shade.

He said it’s important to preserve the Jesuit pear, not only for its history, but because some scientists say this variety of fruit tree is hardier and grows faster than its modern-day cousins. Holland also said its fruit is especially delicious.

“They are sweeter and tastier than typical pears.”

Harry Jongerden, garden director at the Toronto Botanical Garden, has accompanied Holland to see the Jesuit pear in Scarborough, and said he is impressed by its remarkable resilience.

He calls Holland an “expert amateur” and said professional botanists and gardeners rely on people like Holland to help identify and preserve rare plant and tree varieties, such as the Jesuit pear. In 2018, Holland brought two Jesuit pear seedlings, grown from seeds collected from the Scarborough Jesuit pear, to the Toronto Botanical Garden. Jongerden said both were planted and are thriving.

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“There is a treasure trove of ancient varieties of fruit trees that would be wonderful to rediscover, ” Jongerden said. “They haven’t disappeared … Nature survives in marvellous ways.”

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