Mespilus

German medlar ( Mespilus germanica ): Flower and leaves

The loquat ( Mespilus ) are a genus of pome fruit crops ( Pyrinae ) in the plant of the rose family ( Rosaceae ).

Features

The loquat are wearing deciduous trees or erect shrubs, some of thorns. Their leaves are simple, lanceolate and very short-stalked. Stipules are present, however, fall off very early.

The flowers appear singly at the end of short shoots. The sepals are laubig, wear on the edge of glands and protrude beyond the petals clearly. They remain on the fruit. The petals are white or pink. There are 20-40 stamens. The five carpels are under constant and each containing two ovules. Of these, only one developed into a seed. The five pens are free.

The apple fruit is fleshy and has a rock-hard core. There is a wide pit, where there are the permanent sepals at the top of the fruit.

System

The genus contains only two species

• The German medlar ( Mespilus germanica )
• Mespilus canescens

The loquat were long regarded as monotypic. Only in the twentieth century, another type was found and described in Arkansas (USA) with Mespilus canescens JBPhipps.

In 2006 presented phylogenetic analyzes lined the two species in the genus Mespilus the hawthorn, the brachyacantha along with the type Crataegus coffin. & Engelm. form a clade.

Documents

• Siegmund Seybold (ed.): Schmeil Fitschen - interactive ( CD -Rom ), Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2001/2002, ISBN 3-494-01327-6 ( Features )