0399 



MEDLAR 



Family: ROSACEAE. 



Reproductive system: ICOSANDRY, PENTAGYNY. 



The medlars or thorn trees constitute an attractive and a useful genus. They have 

 elegant foliage and pretty clusters of flowers followed by fruit that usually is red and that 

 is conspicuous in autumn in almost all of our parks. Several species are armed with long 

 thorns which makes them most suitable for forming hedges. M. Thouin Sr., who 

 contributed so much to the cultivation and acclimatization of foreign trees, used several 

 thorn trees at the Museum of Natural History, despite its dry ground, as examples of 

 hedgerows and barriers that are impenetrable to any kind of animal. 



The common medlar, Mespilus germanica, Linn., is a large shrub of uneven habit 

 equipped with thorns that are lost when it's cultivated. The leaves are lanceolate, cottony 

 underneath and green above. The white flowers are sessile and solitary. The fruit is 

 yellowish gray. 



FLOWERS: in June. 



RANGE: the woodlands of France and Europe. 



NOMENCLATURE. German, mespel, mespelein. Danish, mispellra. English, the 

 Dutch medlar. Italian, nespolo. Russian, tschiski. Bohemian, rysspule. 



The scarlet hawthorn, Mespilus coccinea. Desf., [Translator's note: now 

 Crataegus coccinea] is a small tree equipped with long thorns that are lost when it's 

 cultivated. The leaves are oval, heart-shaped, angular, and lightly toothed. The flowers 

 are white and form clusters. They have only nine stamens, an unusual exception in the 

 Rosaceae family. The fruit is a beautiful red berry. 



FLOWERS: in April. 



RANGE: Virginia; naturalized in Europe a long time ago. 



The common cotoneaster, Mespilus cotoneaster, Linn., [Translator's note: now 

 Cotoneaster integerrima] is a small, twisted shrub. The leaves are oval, entire, 



