Hi, we just bought a house built in the late 1990s. There is a round tree in the front yard, 15 or 20 feet tall, that resembles a pear. Its leaves look like a pear tree's leaves and it has small, hard, round, olive green fruit.

This tree's leaves stayed green longer than the Brqadfords in town. They turned brilliant orange in November and the leaves are now brown, still hanging on the tree close to mid December. The yard is wide open and we've had 50 mph winds already this fall with no branch breakage-- and the leaves are still on it. The trunk has a central leader and it's more open than Bradford pear's, and the bark is brown with nice looking fissures running through it. I've noticed other trees of the same species and size planted throughout Grand Rapids, so it's also used as a street tree.

The reason I ask is because I lived in TN for a few years and grew to really hate Bradford pears because they stink, rot and break. This tree is on the southwest corner of the house, exactly where I would normally plant a large shade tree like a red maple. If it is a short-lived, weak pear, I will cut it down and plant something more sturdy. But it's already proven that it's a strong tree, and it's nice looking, so I want to give it a chance. Sorry I don't have pictures of it right now, but I thought I'd ask-- any ideas out there?