× Sorbopyrus irregularis

The shipova, scientific name '× Pyraria irregularis, synonyms including × Sorbopyrus irregularis''', is a hybrid of the European pear (Pyrus communis) and the common whitebeam (Aria edulis''). It is a small to medium-sized tree growing to 10–18 m tall (or 4–6 m on dwarfing rootstock), with deciduous oval leaves 7–11 cm long and 5–6 cm broad. The fruit is a pome 2.5–3 cm long; it is edible with a sweet, yellowish flesh, which tastes similar to a Nashi pear.

==History== The hybrid, known as the Bollwiller pear, first arose at Bollwiller in Alsace, France, before 1612, and has mostly been propagated by grafting since then; it is nearly sterile, only rarely producing any viable seeds. Two successful seedling propagations have been named as the cultivar 'Bulbiformis' and as the species Pyrus malifolia, but shipova trees are not widely cultivated.