It's worth remembering because medlar is packed with nutritional benefits. Mespilus, as it's called, is a late-fall fruit found in the region from the Black Sea to Iran. The Romans appreciated its ...

Cultivated since Roman times, medlar trees, or Mespilus germanica, are today a rare sight. Yet, this low-maintenance heritage fruit tree has much to offer and is surprisingly easy to grow.

The French call the medlar tree, cul de chien (translation: dog’s arse). Shakespeare called their fruits “open-arse”. And in a poem, DH Lawrence called medlars "autumnal excrementa".

It is California’s own medlar orchard, whose crop is arriving in Los Angeles this week. The medlar, which resembles a russeted crabapple with an open blossom end, is a pome fruit, kin to apples ...

Q I have a healthy and fruitful “Royal” medlar (Mespilus germanica). When can I pick its fruits? They are full size by October, but they stay too hard for eating. Any suggestions? A The medlar ...