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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Mespilus germanica (Medlar) |
Mespilus germanica (ROSACEAE.)
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.
Website launch: Oct-2002
Taxonomic update: Aug-2026
Code update: Jul-2026 |
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| Nomenclature and General Information |
Species name : |
Mespilus germanicaL.
Published in Sp. Pl. : 478 (1753) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
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Plant Family : |
Rosaceae L. (The Rose Family)
34 species from the Rosaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | Medlar, Mediterranean Medlar |
Maltese name(s) : |
Fomm il-lipp, Naspli Ġermaniżi, Omm il-Epp |
Status for Malta : |
Archeophyte. Non-native species, but introduced in Malta before 1492 (Columbus'
discovery of the New World) but usually been on the Islands more than 1000 years. |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct in the wild |
Growth form : |
Germination type [info]: Dicotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Macro-Phanerophyte ( high trees usually over 5 m high ) |
Legal Protection : |
Protected by law: Schedule I of legal notice [S.L. 549.123] (Strictly protected tree species) |
Red List (1989) : |
Threatened status for the Maltese Islands and has been listed in the Red Data Book (1st ed.) |
Flowering Time : |
May – June |
Colour of Flowers: |
White |
Toxicity: |
Not particularly toxic |
Name Derivation : |
Mespilus: ()
germanica: From or related to Germany. (Latin origin)
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Planting in rural areas : |
Encouraged to be planted in the wild that is in rural areas including ODZ. |
Remarks : |
This species was recorded from Malta and reported in old literature but has not been seen anymore in the wild for the last couple of decades. If you think that you have seen this species in the wild from Malta, please email here and provide all details possible and ideally images. |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Shrub or small tree up to 6 m. Leaves 5-12 cm, lanceolate or oblanceolate to obovate, pubescent, but sometimes glabrous above, entire or serrulate towards the apex. Flowers 3-4 cm in diameter. Sepals 10-16 mm, linear-triangular. Petals white. Fruit 2-3 cm, brown, pyriform to depressed-globose. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Data will be available in the next update of this website.
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Data will be available in the next update of this website.
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Distributional range |
S.E. Europe, extending to Sardegna and Sicilia cultivated and naturalized in C. & W. Europe.
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Flora Europaea till 1993) |
Bulgaria, Greece, Italy (mainland, excl. Sicily and Sardinia), Russia and former USSR, Sardinia, Sicily and/or Malta, Introduced in Austria and Liechtenstein, Belgium, Britain (excl. Northern Ireland and Channel islands), Czeck Republic and Slovakia, France (incl. Monaco and Channel Islands but excluding Corse), Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain (incl. Andorra but excl. the Balaerics), ex-Jugoslavia, Romania
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
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Ab Ar dBu dCy Gg dGr Rf(CS) dSy Tu(A) dTu(E) Uk(K) [cAg cAl Au(A L) Be(B L) Bl(I M) Br Co cCr aCs Ct Ga(C) Ge cGr He Ho Hs(S) cIJ It cLi cLS Lu cMa cMk cPo Rm Sa Si(M S) Sk Sl Sr cTn Uk(U)]
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| Links & Further literature
(0 papers) |
Google Web |
Google Images |
Google Scholar |
Research Gate |
Wikipedia |
JSTOR |
GBIF |
Med Checklist |
Cat. of Life |
EoL |
IPNI |
World Flora Online |
Plants of the World Online |
Vienna Virt. Herb. |
RBGE Herbarium |
KEW Herbarium |
MNHN |
Garden Database |
IUCN |
TROPICOS |
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local
studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.
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Sales and Donations
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Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta: Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).
How it works: First, submit a quotation request by completing the Online Quotation Form (link provided on the right side of this table). Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive confirmation regarding seed availability, export eligibility (where applicable), pricing, and any transport charges. Payments are accepted by Revolut, bank transfer (IBAN), or PayPal only; credit and debit card payments are not accepted.
Please note that local orders are currently not being accepted. Seek Maltese nurseries and NGOs for local orders.
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Online Quotation (Seeds)
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Buy Images: Purchase photographs from this extensive online collection of Maltese flora by Stephen Mifsud. Images are available at reasonable prices, with rates varying according to image size and resolution. Your purchase helps support the maintenance and development of this website. When placing an order, please note the image code displayed beneath each photograph on the corresponding species page, as this is required when completing the online order form. Images are normally supplied under a license agreement, with copyright retained by the author; however, the sale of copyright for exceptional images may be considered on request.
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Online Purchase (Images)
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| Contribute Information or Report Errors |
Use this form to submit additional information about this species or to report any inaccuracies on this webpage.
If the information you provide is sourced from a book, journal, website, or any other publication, rather then your own information or experience, then please include the relevant reference or web address whenever possible. Your email address will be used solely for internal communication and will not be shared. We greatly appreciate reports of: taxonomic updates; species misidentifications; incorrect or outdated information, broken links, technical website issues, or any additional information specific to the plant in this webpage.
Your contributions help to improve the accuracy and quality of this website. Thank you! Fill any of the three sections (A/B/C) below: .
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Atlas Flora Europaea
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
