Mespilus germanica
| Medlar (Mespilus germanica) | |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Mespilus germanica |
| Common names | Medlar |
| Genus | Mespilus |
| Family | Rosaceae |
| Order | Rosales |
| Growth habit | Small deciduous tree or shrub |
| Fruit maturation | Bletting after harvest |
Mespilus germanica, the medlar, is a small deciduous Eurasian fruit tree in the rose family. The accepted species match places it in Mespilus and Rosaceae.[1] It is grown for the unusual fruit, which is harvested firm and sour and eaten after its flesh softens through bletting.
Description[edit | edit source]
Medlar forms a small tree or shrub, usually about 3–6 m (10–20 ft) in the Penn State description and about 5 m (16 ft) in the Oregon State account; some plants have thorns.[2] The leaves are oblong with serrated margins. Flowers are white to pinkish-white, with five petals, and appear in spring. In autumn the foliage develops color before falling.[3]
The fruit is distinctive: a tan to brown pome with a broad, turban-like form and five persistent calyx lobes. It is hard and sour at harvest rather than ready for immediate eating.[2]
Cultivation[edit | edit source]
Soil and water[edit | edit source]
Plant medlar in fertile soil that retains moisture without remaining waterlogged. A moist but well-drained site is the useful balance described for cultivation; drainage matters because the plant is not presented as a swamp or standing-water tree.[4] Prepare the planting site so roots can occupy an open soil volume rather than a permanently saturated pocket.
Sun and humidity[edit | edit source]
Use full sun for the strongest flowering and fruiting position. Oregon State lists full-sun cultivation for medlar; the plant's compact size also makes it suitable for a sunny orchard edge or garden position rather than a deeply shaded woodland planting.[2]
Seasonal changes[edit | edit source]
Medlar is deciduous. Plan for spring flowering, autumn foliage color, and late-autumn fruit handling.[3] Fruit is kept firm at harvest and then held in cool storage or allowed to soften for several weeks. This post-harvest change, rather than a conventional tree-ripened texture, is central to the crop.[3]
Propagation[edit | edit source]
Named medlar varieties are in cultivation. Keep the selection name with any nursery or exchanged plant material so a named fruiting form is not confused with the species description.[4]
Flowering, fruiting, and harvest[edit | edit source]
The flowers are described as hermaphrodite and self-fertile, so a single established tree can produce fruit without requiring a second sex-compatible tree.[4] Flowering occurs in spring, followed by the characteristic pome. The fruit is harvested hard and sour in late autumn; some guidance associates picking with the period after frost. It then needs several weeks of holding, or cool storage, to complete bletting and become soft.[2][3]
Judge the harvest by fruit condition rather than by the crisp texture expected from an apple. Firm fruit is suitable for storage and later bletting; the usable stage is soft, with the flesh changed from its initial hard state.
Fruit and uses[edit | edit source]
Bletted medlar can be eaten raw or used cooked. The softened fruit is described as having a spicy applesauce-like character.[3] One grower, writing as StocksyMagoo, describes a slight wrinkle as a useful ripeness cue and reports tangy apple-pie flavor with spice notes after bletting; that is an individual sensory observation, not a universal quality standard.[5]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ [2] Crataegus germanica | Landscape Plants. Oregon State University Department of Horticulture.
- ↑ [3] Strange Fruit. Penn State Extension.
- ↑ [4] Mespilus germanica — Medlar. Plants For A Future Plant Database.
- ↑ [5] The Medlar (Mespilus germanica) a weird & delicious ancient fruit!. Reddit, post by StocksyMagoo.