[3] It is one of the most important fruits of temperate regions, being the species from which most orchard pear cultivars grown in Europe, North America, and Australia have been developed.

Archeological evidence shows these pears "were collected from the wild long before their introduction into cultivation", according to Zohary and Hopf.

Pears store (and ship) well in their mature but unripe state if kept cold, and can be ripened later, a process called bletting.

[citation needed] Almost all European cultivars were chance seedlings or selections originating in western Europe, mostly France.

[citation needed] Those marked agm have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.