Medlar – Mespilus germanica

Description

Description

Medlar (Mespilus germanica) is a large shrub or small tree of the Rosaceae family, native to Eastern Europe / Western Asia, but widely cultivated in Europe for thousands of years. Medlar are one of the few temperate Winter ripening fruit, and are relatively unbothered by pests and diseases, so they were formerly very important to our diets.

Medlar fruits need to be bletted to be edible, which is essentially allowing the fruit to become ‘overripe’ (otherwise the flesh is hard and astringent). Once bletted, medlar can be eaten directly with a teaspoon or made into jelly. They taste like spiced applesauce and are one of our favourite fruits.

These seeds come from a named variety called ‘Royal’ which is highly productive with large and excellent tasting fruit.

Seeds per packet: 5

Germination Instructions

Medlar seeds are difficult to germinate, usually requiring two cold stratification periods and a period of warm in between. For good results, the seedcoat should have been penetrated by water before the second cold stratification period.

Good results have been reported by moist cold stratifying, then planting seeds into a [well labelled!] pot outside with lots of live organic soil, and then after 6-9 months, collecting the seeds again for another few months of cold stratification, before finally planting out again.