SC - Re: Period Plant Materials

[RANDALL DIAMOND]

Laurene writes:
>I still really want one of these trees for my front yard... sigh... The
>flowers are supposed to look like that of an old fashioned rose.

Yes they do look like a white York rose somewhat.  You most
likely would get better fruit if you had two of them for cross
pollenation, though the tree is self fertile.  Medlars have been
mostly used in The US as a hedging plant.  Nottingham and 
Royal are direct decendants of period varieties.  I suspect the
"Giant" varieties are modern cultivars.  Like peaches and other
fruits that grow reliably good fruit from seed, pawpaws and 
medlars grown from seed can be considered "period" in that
some will bear poor fruit and most will bear average fruit and
only occasionally will one bear good enough excellent fruit to
warrent grafting and naming.  This is equally true in period as 
well as modern times for chance pollinated fruits of these 
species.

Akim Yaroslavich
"No glory comes without pain"