By Paul Jackson, Arborist

Produced by ORC and Jeremy Gugenheim

Find it at Wakelyns

Mespilus germanica

Medlar is a tree associated with old orchards but is enjoying something of a renaissance. The peculiar looking fruit need ‘bletting’ (left to semi-rot) to become edible, but is prized for making into ‘Medlar cheese’. The tree itself grows in a very unusual manner, not unlike a giant bonsai, with curling branches. It is nearly always much wider than tall, a property making the species less than ideal for agroforestry planting, especially in narrow tree rows!