Bradford Pear

Pyrus calleryana

Bardford, or callery, pears, tend to grow in a range of conditions: they can grow in wet soils and full sunshine, but are also drought and shade tolerant. They are often planted ornamentally and may actually be invasive in North America. You will find this particular Bradford pear along the main sidewalk path in the IU Arboretum. This tree stood out to me because of its deeply furrowed bark and the spot on the trunk that, to me at least, looks like an eyeball. This sport on the trunk is likely a scar from where an old branch used to be. Although the branch may have been cut off, it is more likely it fell off from natural causes- "eyeballs" appear on trees whose branches have fallen off after atrophying (dying off).