Mespilus

views updated

Mespilus (medlar; family Rosaceae) A monotypic genus of trees, close to Malus but with the carpels exposed in a disc within the wide ring of the persistent calyx at the top of the fruit, and with solitary flowers and large, leaf-like sepals. Fruits can be eaten when they become soft and brown. They are native to southeastern Europe and central Asia.

More From encyclopedia.com