We have bought a Medlar tree (Mespilus germanica, Rosaceae). Also known
(at least in Sussex where I hail from – and I make no apology for this) as the ‘Dog’s Arse’ tree. This doubtless because of the rather odd looking fruits, which do have a rather unfortunate formation.
Many will know the name from Romeo and Juliet where Mercurio, on seeing Romeo jumping over the orchard wall, calls out : “Now will he sit under a medlar tree.” A bawdy sentiment in this context, but shows that the Medlar was a popular fruit in Elizabethan England. It was well known to Greeks and Romans and may stretch back 30 centuries as a cultivar.
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