Once my sister brought me food from the Black Sea coast - unusual fruits. It was a medlar. I’ve never seen her before, never eaten. I really liked her. I became interested in what characteristics medlar is famous for, its beneficial properties and contraindications to the use of this fruit. It turns out that there is not a single part of this amazing plant that would not be beneficial. By the way, there are two types of medlar. Despite the same name, they differ in appearance and some of their properties are similar.
Medlar - what is it
The genus of fruit trees or shrubs of medlar has about 30 varieties. At our dachas, plots successfully cultivated, two species grow: Caucasian loquat (it is German) and Japanese loquat (lokva).
They are completely different from each other, but both taste good. The fruits of the Japanese variety resemble apricot in appearance with a delicate, fragrant pulp inside - it is difficult to transport, store.
The medlar must be pre-matured or slightly frost-bitten, then it becomes soft, suitable for use.
Medlar tree, photo:
Medlar blooms with lush white inflorescences with a delicate pleasant aroma, somewhat reminiscent of tuberose. Japanese lokva blooms in autumn (November), and in May the fruits ripen.
German medlar can be found in Crimea (therefore it is sometimes called Crimean), and outside our country - in the Balkans, Asia Minor, Iran (northern regions), and Transcaucasia.
Flowering medlar, photo:
Differences between Japanese and German medlar:
- The Japanese have one seed, the German has five small seeds.
- The fruits of the first have a soft peel, a bright rich yellow color, the other variety has a dense skin of a dark brown hue.
- In Japanese, the color is tied on the shoots of the current year, in the German variety - on last year.
- The foliage of the Japanese medlar has a fluffy coating, another variety boasts wax leaves.
- The fruits of Japanese medlar ripen in spring, have a sweet taste, juicy flesh. In the German variety, the fruits ripen in the fall, they taste sour, dense.
- The Japanese variety does not tolerate frosts, the German variety is quite frost-resistant.
- The Japanese variety is distinguished by evergreen foliage, in Germanic leaves fall.
Japanese medlar, photo:
Medlar German, photo:
Medlar - useful properties
This plant does not have a single part that would not be used to good use. The fruits are consumed fresh, jam is made from them, homemade alcoholic drinks, and fruit drinks are made. The bones (seeds) of the medlar are dried, and then ground to a powder state, and then brewed as coffee. Even bark and foliage are used - with their help they process the skin (tanning). Wood is used to make various crafts.
Japanese medlar is more often used for treatment and prevention of various diseases. Useful elements contained in its fruits have a positive effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, restore healthy intestinal microflora. The best homemade “cure” is the flesh of a fruit with the addition of honey. This useful treat helps with inflammation of the respiratory tract, helps to cleanse the lungs, relieves cough, and makes breathing easier. Decoctions from the leaves of the plant, which have phytoncides and are therefore successfully used to treat bronchitis, are also useful.
The use of medlar fruits helps to eliminate toxins, radionuclides, salts of heavy metals from the body, and helps with various kidney ailments.
If you use this fruit for a long time, then the liver, pancreas normalize their work. Medlar fruits are the strongest natural antioxidants, stimulants of the immune system, their use reduces the risk of cancer.
Medlar, photo:
Also, medlar contains many vitamins - this favorably affects the functions of the cardiovascular system. The presence of an almost complete list of B vitamins, thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine helps to normalize blood pressure, accelerate regeneration processes.
The fruits of medlar are so useful that their value can be compared with effective medications, but at the same time they are a product of natural origin. Even after heat treatment, medlar does not lose its beneficial qualities.
For medicinal purposes, medlar leaves should be harvested in August, and fruits in the fall. In addition to jam, juices, alcohol tinctures are made from fruits, which can be used as a medicine.
For this, seeds are removed from the fruits, and the pulp is kneaded, poured with vodka (100 grams are enough for 4 fruits). For the best effect, the seeds can also be crushed, chopped, and added to the gruel. After 5 days, the tincture should be filtered, and then take one tablespoon before a meal.
A decoction of the leaves is prepared in this way: one tablespoon is poured 200 g of boiling water, insist 1 hour. This broth can be taken 50 g after each meal (for general strengthening of the body). For the treatment of peptic ulcer, on the contrary, you should take 3 tablespoons of the decoction inside half an hour before meals. The same infusion helps with bleeding gums. The leaves can also be used as a hemostatic agent: it is enough to apply a fresh leaf to a wound or cut a couple of times so that the blood stops flowing.
Medlar fruit has some contraindications - it is not recommended for people suffering from high acidity (sour fruits).
Small children should be given little by little, make sure that the child does not have an allergic reaction. Nursing mothers should also carefully consume this fruit for a similar reason.
In acute forms of peptic ulcer, gastritis, diseases of the duodenum, medlar is better not to eat. It is undesirable to consume too many fruits, as this increases the risk of an allergic reaction. Children can eat two fruits daily without threat to health, adults - 4-5 pieces.
Medlar, how to grow at home
How to grow this beautiful, healthy tree at home? There are two ways: seeds (seeds) or cuttings.
Bone loquat
The most effective result is the reproduction of seeds, since the plant retains all the qualities of the mother tree.
The fruit is cut, the bones are removed, after which they are immersed for a couple of hours in a solution to stimulate plant growth (Zircon, Epin). To remove the remaining pulp, as well as for early germination, you can treat the bones of the medlar with sandpaper or scratch something sharp.
A container is prepared, soil is poured for indoor flowers. The seeds should be deepened into the soil by about 3 cm. For one container (one and a half or two liters), 5 pieces are enough. After this, you need to slightly pour water on the ground, cover the pot with film or glass, install it in a warm place. Watering the soil should be as it dries, but ventilation should be done daily - open the pot for a couple of hours. At the same time, the air temperature should not be lower than + 18 ° C.
The first sprouts appear after about 40-50 days. After the appearance of three leaves, young plants are transplanted together with a lump of earth - each separately. This process should be done carefully, as the root system of the medlar is very tender.
You can give the desired shape to the plant by pinching. If you want to get a bush, you should pinch the top. If you need a tree, it is better not to interfere in the development process. The top is also pinched so that the medlar does not stretch upward. With this approach, flowering can be expected in 4-5 years.
German medlar does not need special care, since it does not bloom in winter. She will be comfortable on a glazed loggia on the north side.
As for the Japanese variety, the first few years will be troublesome - it must be replanted every year, completely replacing the soil. Transplanting any plant is stressful, so it is best to produce it in the summer after fruiting is completed. Japanese lokva begins to bloom in the fall, because of this, fertilizing should be continued throughout the winter.
Tropics are a natural medium for the growth of medlar; therefore, it loves a humid climate. She needs daily spray irrigation. Watering should be done 3 or 4 times a week, but you should not oversaturate the plant with moisture.
Medlar from cuttings
The stages of the process of rooting the cuttings are as follows:
- This plant takes root in the dark, so the can for cuttings should be opaque or should be wrapped with dark paper.
- Fill a jar or other container with water. To root the cuttings, you can also use sand-peat substrate.
- We cut the lower part of the twig so that the cut angle forms 45 degrees.
- We remove all the leaves from the handle, leaving only a couple of the top.
- We put the handle in the water. If we use a substrate, then we deepen the stalk by 5 cm, water it well.
- We cover with a cropped plastic bottle on top, put in a warm place, you can near the heating battery.
After 50-60 days, the roots will appear on the stalk. It can be planted in a separate pot. Provide the tree with high-quality watering, lighting. You may have to use a phytolamp first. The tree grown from the handle begins to bear fruit in 4-5 years.
As for the care, the medlar prefers lighting for at least 10 hours a day, warm water for irrigation, frequent spray irrigation. In summer, you can arrange a plant of souls.
It doesn’t matter which method of cultivation you choose, this plant is worth the labor, cares put into it. Medlar, the beneficial properties and contraindications of which we have described above, will become for you a real home doctor, decoration of your home. At home, the height of the tree will not exceed one and a half meters, so you can not be afraid that the plant will take up a lot of space.
If you live in the south, a seedling grown from seed or cuttings can be planted in open ground.
Here is such a loquat growing in my country house. True, it did not grow out of seed - a seedling was purchased in the fall of 2015. The seller of seedlings found it difficult to answer whether it was medlar, Japanese or German. Well, wait and see -
The top froze in winter, withered. But leaflets appeared from the lower kidneys. Photo taken in the summer of 2016.
And this is the same seedling a year later (spring 2017). Even the first flower bloomed!
I hope that the tree will survive the next winters ... And it will bring me a good harvest!
The article was edited on May 14, 2017.
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