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Description
Mespilus germanica requires temperate and sub-mediterranean climate conditions with warm summers and mild winters. Air temperatures of 18°C to 20°C are mentioned as favourable for growth, cold of up to -20°C is tolerated and late frosts hardly cause any damage. The wild form were observed in dry areas with annual precipitation of 700 mm and at altitudes from 0 to 1100 meters. The species grows in a wide range of soil types and prefers fresh, well-drained loamy soils with a pH that is between 6 and 8.

Under ideal circumstances, the deciduous plant grows up to 8 metres (26 ft) tall. Generally, it is shorter and more shrub-like than tree-like. With a lifespan of 30–50 years, the medlar tree is rather short-lived. Its bark is greyish brown with deep vertical cracks forming rectangular plates that tend to lift off. The leaves are dark green and elliptic, 8–15 centimetres (3.1–5.9 in) long and 3–5 centimetres (1.2–2.0 in) wide. The leaves are densely hairy (pubescent) below, and turn red in autumn before falling. It is found across southern Europe where it is generally rare. It is reported to be naturalized in some woods in southeast England, but is found in few gardens.

The flowers have five broadly ovate white petals. The flowers appear in late spring, are hermaphrodite, pollinated by bees, and self-fertile. The flower is 6 centimetres (2.4 in) wide. The reddish-brown fruit is a pome, 2–3 centimetres (0.79–1.18 in) diameter, with wide-spreading persistent sepals around a central pit, giving a 'hollow' appearance to the fruit.

Systematics

Within the species Mespilus germanica 23 taxa are distinguished, also compromising wild or semi-wild forms, ornamental and of different origin. Among them there are the following varieties:


 * Mespilus germanica var. gigantea KIRCHN. with very large fruits
 * Mespilus germanica var. abortiva KIRCHN. with fruits without seeds
 * Mespilus germanica var. argenteo-variegata with white variegated leaves as ornamental plant
 * Mespilus germanica var. aureo-variegata with yellow variegated leaves as ornamental plant

Cultivars of Mespilus germanica that are grown for their fruit include 'Hollandia', 'Nottingham', and 'Russian', the large-fruited variety 'Dutch' (also known as 'Giant' or 'Monstrous'), 'Breda giant', 'Large Russian', 'Royal' with very high yield, 'Early medlar' with early ripening and high quality fruits, 'Seedless' with seedless fruits of low quality and ‘Dutch’ (also known as ‘Giant’ or ‘Monstrous) with large fruits,

The cultivar 'Nottingham' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

For a long time it was assumed that it was a species with narrow genetic resources and therefore subject to high risks of genetic erosion, whereby the limited evolution of Mespilus germanica diversity was ascribed to the lack of economic interest for this fruit species in the last centuries. But current finding show that natural populations of medlar are diverse with a high genetic potential, which could be used to improve production by using specific genotypes.

Consumption
Mespilus germanica fruits are hard and acidic even when ripe, but become edible after being softened, "bletted", by frost, or naturally in storage if given sufficient time by reducing tannine content and fruit acids, increasing sugar content and also change content of other minerals.

Once softening begins, the skin rapidly takes on a wrinkled texture and turns dark brown, and the inside reduces to the consistency and flavour reminiscent of apple sauce. This process can confuse those new to medlars, as its softened fruit looks as if it has spoiled.

Product use

Once bletted, the fruit can be eaten raw, sometimes with sugar and cream — it has been described as being an "acquired taste" — or used to make medlar jelly. It is used in "medlar cheese", which is similar to lemon curd, made with the fruit pulp, eggs, and butter.

Unripe fruits have a relatively high tannin content of about 2.6% and are therefore used for tanning. The tannin causes flocculation of proteins, so it can also be used to reduce the turbidity of wine, apple and perry.

In Saarland, in the southwest of the Federal Republic of Germany, a schnapps is made from the fruit of the medlar, which is refined with hawthorn.

"Medlar tea" usually is not made from M. germanica, but from wolfberry or goji, which is sometimes inaccurately translated as "red medlar."

Mespilus Germanica kernel oil was used for the first time to produce biodiesel, whereby linoleic acid and oleic acid with about 40% are main constituents of the extracted oil. The physical properties of the produced biodiesel allows an alternative for diesel fuels wthout any modification to the conventional engines.

Furthermore, leaves of medlar fruit were used to produce activated carbon to remove, for example, heavy metals like Ni2+ from aqueous solutions.

Phytosynthesized silver nanoparticles could be fabricated from Mespilus germanica extract and show antibacterial, antibiofilm and antiquorum sensing activities against multidrug resistance of Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical strains.

Nutritive value

Mespilus germanica fruits are hard, acidic even when ripe and astringent, but become edible after being softened, "bletted", by frost, or naturally in storage if given sufficient time by reducing tannine content and fruit acids, increasing sugar content and also change content of other minerals.

In general, the medlar fruits were found to be rich in terms of potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and iron.

Mespilus germanica contains many health-promoting active ingredients. The content depends on various biotic and abiotic factors such as environmental conditions, genotype (for example, antioxidant capacity or citric acid varies between genotypes ), fruit ripeness, harvest time and storage conditions. The fruits are particularly rich in monoterpenes and organic acid s, which exhibit valuable antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

Large amounts of flavoring amino acids, sugars, and organic acids, could play play an important role in flavor.

Due to their diuretic and astringent effects, the fruits have been used in folk medicine. They are useful for regulating intestinal activity, for example in diarrhea, and are also used to purify the blood and reduce fever. The fruits are also used to treat diarrhea.

In 1984 and 1985, the following values were given for homogenized fruit: The contents of sugars, organic acids, amino acids and minerals also differ significantly between ripening stages during fruit development.

Fructose content increases steadily during fruit development, whereas sucrose content increases for 4 months and decreases afterwards. Tannin content and fruit acid content, especially ascorbid acid, decreases during fruit development. In ripe fruit, glutamate and aspartate were the major amino compounds, but also total amino acid composition changed during fruit development.