This tree is large, vigorous, spreading, and hardy. Although Anjou is partially self-fertile, productivity will be improved by a pollenizer. More tolerant of fireblight and cold temperatures than Bartlett, Anjou is a precocious cropper and it performs well on quince stock. It shows some resistance to scab but it is susceptible to pseudomonas.

The fruit is uniformly large, with a green skin that will ripen to yellow in storage. The flesh is fine, buttery, and juicy, with some grit cells at the center, and the flavor is aromatic, spicy, and sweet, but balanced with a lemony acidity. In Pears of New York, Hedrick writes: "As an early winter pear, it has no superior and few equals in appearance and quality of fruit." Anjou is also a highly recommended baking pear.

The origin of Anjou is slightly obscure. While some writers state that the pear is French, others say that the name Buerre d'Anjou was mistakenly applied when the tree was first introduced in America and England. By the latter account, the pear is actually the Nec Plus Meuris, whose original home was Belgium. It is, by any name, one of the most widely grown commercial pears in America, favored largely for its outstanding storage powers.