Sultan Medlar

Mespilus germanica ‘Sultan’

A large-fruited and heavy-bearing medlar, originally from the Netherlands, that we discovered at the National Clonal Germplasm Repository in Corvallis, OR. 

Although little-known in the U.S., medlars have been grown in Europe for thousands of years. The unusual 1 inch diameter 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 lighted place they undergo a process called ‘bletting’ and become soft, spicy and very rich. Enjoy the cinnamon-apple sauce flavor scooped out with a spoon, or pop the fruits in your mouth and spit out the unusual, pyramid-shaped seeds as your tongue finds them.

USDA Zone: 5-9

Grow Height: 10′ 

Sun: Full Sun

Ripening Time: October/November

Pollination: Self-Fertile

Rootstock: OHxF87