Features:
Common name: Common Medlar, German Medlar
Family: Rosaceae
Origin: Eastern Europe
Height at maturity: 4 to 6 meters
Hardiness: -20°C
Exposure: sunny, partial shade
Plant type: fruit tree, shrub
Vegetation: perennial
Foliage: deciduous
Flowering: spring
Flower color: white-pink
Type of soil: rich and draining, supports limestone
Watering: regular
Use: in the garden, isolated, orchard
Diseases and pests: powdery mildew, aphids, caterpillars
Toxicity: edible fruits
Storage of seeds: 2 years in a dry place away from light at 3/4°C (refrigerator)
Description:
The German loquat has a flared, spreading habit with a rounded top. Its trunk has a tortuous gray-brown bark that cracks into a plate as it ages, revealing a new orange-brown bark. Gnarled twigs are mostly thorny.
The foliage is deciduous, dark green in color, turning reddish yellow and brown in the fall. The leaves are large, wavy, pubescent and measure 15cm by 5cm. The midrib is well marked.
In May June, the flowers 2 to 5cm in diameter bloom and offer a white hue sometimes tinged with pink.
Medlar produces loquats, brown fruits, which are generally eaten chard. After harvest in October, the loquat is eaten one to two months after storage in a cool room.
