Mespilus germanica

13 Oct

Mespilus germanica fruit (17/09/2011, London)

Position: Full sun to partial shade

Flowering period: Summer

Soil: Moist

Eventual Height: 6m

Eventual Spread: 6m

Hardiness: 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b

Family: Rosaceae

Mespilus germanica, is a deciduous large shrub/ small tree with a bushy habit. It’s leaves are dark green turning red in in Autumn before they fall. They are elliptic, up to 15cm long and up to 4cm wide. The hermaphrodite white flowers are produced in May and June, are 5 petaled and are 5 centimeters in width. The fruits is a pome, an accessory fruit composed of one or more carpels surrounded by accessory tissue. Wide spreading persistent sepals give the fruit a hollow appearance.

Mespilus germanica, commonly known as the the Common Medlar (Medlar is also the name of the fruit), is indigenous to southwest Asia and also southeastern Europe, mostly the Black Sea coasts of modern Turkey. It is a genus of two species of flowering plants, the second having only being discovered in 1990 in North America called Mespilus canescens. M. germanica may have been cultivated for as long as 3000 years. It was an important fruit plant during Roman and medieval time. It was commonly cultivated in England during the 1600’s and was particularly common in southern English gardens up to the 1800’s (as this plant prefers sunny locations and mild winters). It is now said to be increasing in rarity in England as well as Europe itself. The fruit need to be ‘bletted’ (softened by frost or a period off time in storage) before they can be eaten.

The etymological root of the binomial name Mespilus is derived from the Greek Mesos meaning ‘half’ and Pilos meaning ‘ball’ in reference to the shape of the fruit. Germanica is derived from the Latin meaning ‘of Germany’ (although it is not).