Royal Medlar

Mespilus germanica ‘Royal’

‘Royal’ is an English cultivar first imported into the US about 30 years ago. The USDA describes this variety as having : “medium-sized fruit, good flavor, heavy cropper”. This variety also displays the quirky growing habit of all medlars – branches emerging in all directions, making the internal structure of the tree into a fun, Dr. Suess-style zig-zag frame.

Although little-known in the U.S., medlars have been grown in Europe for thousands of years. The unusual, round fruits are collected in the fall, after the first frosts. When picked, the fruits are much too hard to eat immediately. If allowed to ripen for a few weeks in a cool, well-lit place they undergo a process called ‘bletting’ and become soft, spicy and very rich. They can also be left on the tree to blet in many milder winter locations. Enjoy the cinnamon-apple sauce flavor scooped out with a spoon.

Hardy to USDA Zone: 5

Mature Height: 10′ 

Sun: Full Sun

Ripening Time: November

Pollination: Self-Fertile

Rootstock: OHxF87