Stern's Medlar
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| Mespilus canescens J.B.Phipps |
Stern's Medlar (Mespilus canescens) is a large shrub or small tree, recently discovered in Prairie County, Arkansas, United States, in 1990. It is a critically endangered endemic species, with only 25 plants known, all in one small (9 ha) wood, now protected as the Konecny Grove Natural Area.
It has been shown by genetic analysis to be closely related to the Common Medlar M. germanica, which was hitherto the only known species of medlar. The leaves are very similar to that species, dark green and elliptic, 7–12 cm long and 3–4 cm wide. The five-petalled white flowers are produced in late spring. The fruit is a pome, 2–3 cm diameter, with wide-spreading persistent sepals giving a 'hollow' appearance to the fruit; it differs from Common Medlar fruit in being bright glossy red when ripe (not matte brown).
[edit] See also
[edit] External links and references
- Center for Plant Conservation: Mespilus canescens
- Phipps, J.B. 1990. Mespilus canescens, a new rosaceous endemic from Arkansas. Systematic Botany 15: 26-32.
- Phipps, J.B., Weeden, N.F., & Dickson, E.E. 1991. Isozyme evidence for the naturalness of Mespilus L. (Rosaceae, subfam. Maldoideae). Systematic Botany 16: 546-552.
