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''Mespilus'', commonly called medlar, is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Rosaceae containing the single species ''Mespilus germanica'' of southwest Asia. A second proposed species, ''Mespilus canescens'', discovered in North America in 1990, proved to be a hybrid between ''M. germanica'' and one or more species of hawthorn, and is properly known as ×''Crataemespilus canescens''.〔(Flora of North America )〕 ==Plant== ''Mespilus'' are deciduous large shrubs to small trees growing up to tall. The fruit is a matte brown pome. ==History== ''Mespilus germanica'' is apparently native only to southwest Asia and southeastern Europe, i.e. near the Black Sea coast and western Mediterranean, and Asia Minor, as well as the Caucasus and northern Iran, but it has an ancient history of cultivation and wild plants exist in a much wider area; it was grown by the ancient Greeks and Romans, beginning in the second century BC. ''Mespilus germanica'' was a very popular fruit in Western Europe during the Victorian era, but has fallen out of favour there. Literature The medlar is referenced in William Shakespeare's comedy, ''As You Like It,'' Act III, scene ii, lines 117-120 in an engaging repartee between Rosalind and Touchstone, the Fool. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mespilus」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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