Medlar
Encyclopedia
Mespilus, commonly called Medlar, is a genus of two species of flowering plant
s in the subfamily Maloideae
of the family Rosaceae
. One, Mespilus germanica, is a long-known native of southwest Asia
and possibly also southeastern Europe
(Black Sea coast of modern Turkey), and the other, Mespilus canescens, was discovered in North America
in 1990.
Mespilus germanica features an unusual apple-like fruit that requires bletting
to eat; although not widely eaten today, consumption of these fruits was much more common in the past.
large shrub
s to small tree
s growing up to 8 metres (26.2 ft) tall. The leaves
are dark green and elliptic, 6–15 cm (2.4–5.9 in) long and 3–4 cm (1.2–1.6 in) wide. The leaves turn red in autumn before falling. The five-petaled white flower
s, produced in late spring, are hermaphrodite and pollinated by bees. The fruit is a pome
, 2–3 cm (0.78740157480315–1.2 in) in diameter, with wide-spreading persistent sepals giving a "hollow" appearance to the fruit; it is matte brown in M. germanica and glossy red in M. canescens.
and Romans
, beginning in the 2nd century BCE
. Mespilus germanica was a very popular fruit in Western Europe during the Victorian era
; but has fallen out of favour there.
, Amelanchier, Peraphyllum, and Malacomeles
.
The genus Eriobotrya
(loquat
s) was once considered to be closely related to Mespilus, and is still sometimes called the "Japanese Medlar".
Many authors group Mespilus together with Crataegus in a single genus, with species names Crataegus germanica (L.) Kuntze, and Crataegus ×canescens (J. B. Phipps) T. A. Dickinson & E. Y. Y. Lo.
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s in the subfamily Maloideae
Maloideae
The Maloideae C.Weber are the apple subfamily, a grouping used by some taxonomists within the rose family, Rosaceae. Recent molecular phylogenetic evidence has shown that the traditional Spiraeoideae and Amygdaloideae form part of the same clade as the traditional Maloideae, and the correct name...
of the family Rosaceae
Rosaceae
Rosaceae are a medium-sized family of flowering plants, including about 2830 species in 95 genera. The name is derived from the type genus Rosa. Among the largest genera are Alchemilla , Sorbus , Crataegus , Cotoneaster , and Rubus...
. One, Mespilus germanica, is a long-known native of southwest Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and possibly also southeastern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
(Black Sea coast of modern Turkey), and the other, Mespilus canescens, was discovered in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
in 1990.
Mespilus germanica features an unusual apple-like fruit that requires bletting
Bletting
Bletting is a process that certain fleshy fruits undergo when, beyond ripening, they have started to decay and ferment. There are some fruits that are either sweeter after some bletting, such as sea buckthorn, or for which most varieties can be eaten raw only after bletting, such as medlars,...
to eat; although not widely eaten today, consumption of these fruits was much more common in the past.
Plant
Mespilus are deciduousDeciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
large shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s to small tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s growing up to 8 metres (26.2 ft) tall. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are dark green and elliptic, 6–15 cm (2.4–5.9 in) long and 3–4 cm (1.2–1.6 in) wide. The leaves turn red in autumn before falling. The five-petaled white flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s, produced in late spring, are hermaphrodite and pollinated by bees. The fruit is a pome
Pome
In botany, a pome is a type of fruit produced by flowering plants in the subfamily Maloideae of the family Rosaceae.A pome is an accessory fruit composed of one or more carpels surrounded by accessory tissue...
, 2–3 cm (0.78740157480315–1.2 in) in diameter, with wide-spreading persistent sepals giving a "hollow" appearance to the fruit; it is matte brown in M. germanica and glossy red in M. canescens.
History
Mespilus germanica can most commonly be found today in Southwest Asia and Southeastern Europe, i.e. along the Black Sea coast of modern Turkey. The fruit is native to Asia Minor , as well as the Caucasus and Northern Iran, and has an ancient history of cultivation; it was grown by the ancient GreeksAncient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
and Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
, beginning in the 2nd century BCE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
. Mespilus germanica was a very popular fruit in Western Europe during the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
; but has fallen out of favour there.
Related plants
Within subfamily Spiraeoideae, Mespilus is most closely related to CrataegusCrataegus
Crataegus , commonly called hawthorn or thornapple, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the rose family, Rosaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia and North America. The name hawthorn was originally applied to the species native to northern Europe,...
, Amelanchier, Peraphyllum, and Malacomeles
Malacomeles
Malacomeles is a genus of flowering plants in the Rosaceae. It is most closely related to Amelanchier, Peraphyllum, Crataegus, and Mespilus.-Species:*Malacomeles denticulata*Malacomeles nervosa*Malacomeles paniculata...
.
The genus Eriobotrya
Eriobotrya
Eriobotrya is a genus of about ten species of large evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosaceae, native to east and southeast Asia.-Species:By far the best known species is the Loquat, E...
(loquat
Loquat
The loquat , Eriobotrya japonica, is a fruit tree in the family Rosaceae, indigenous to southeastern China. It was formerly thought to be closely related to the genus Mespilus, and is still sometimes known as the Japanese medlar...
s) was once considered to be closely related to Mespilus, and is still sometimes called the "Japanese Medlar".
Many authors group Mespilus together with Crataegus in a single genus, with species names Crataegus germanica (L.) Kuntze, and Crataegus ×canescens (J. B. Phipps) T. A. Dickinson & E. Y. Y. Lo.
Availability
Medlars are not widely available at present, though one can purchase the fruit and trees of Mespilus germanica from specialists.Trees
The trees are self-fertilizing and long-lived (they can be hundreds of years old), and saplings are cheaply available by mail order in the UK.External links
- Medlars On Bough photograph
- Medlar Fruit & Jelly, photographs and discussions of medlar preparation
- Medlar Jelly at Tiptree, photo of medlar jelly at vendor in the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
- Medlars at Raintree, photo and description at vendor of medlar seedlings in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- Medlar Cheese, a recipe for medlar cheese at historicfood.com
- One Green World a provider of medlar trees in Oregon
