Fructus est rotundus vel ovalis, usitate aurantius 2–6cm latus. In Meridie Americano et Medio Occidentali, fructus persimmons et simmons appellantur, et populo grati sunt in mensis secundiis.
Planta est parva arbor usitate 30–80 pedes alta, trunco breve tenue et ramis extendentibus, saepe pendulosis, qui latum et aliquando angustum caput summo rotundo aliquando formant. Radices sunt crassae, carnosae, stoloniferae. Planta saepe ut suffrutex videtur.[1]
Auctor narrationis de rebus a Ferdinando Soto gestis "pruna passa huius regionis" descripsit "quae meliora sunt quam Hispanica".[2]Thomas Hariot "genus fructuum optimum" aestimavit, "mespila (medlars) a nostris nuncupata, his rationibus, quod non antequam putrescent bona sunt; quod ad caput aperiunt sicut mespila nostra magnitudinemque similem habent, sed gustu et colore magnopere differunt: rubra enim sicut cerasa et dulcissima sunt: sed cerasa dulcamara sunt, hae autem suavia."[3]
Medlars a kind of verie good fruit, so called by us chieflie for these respectes: first in that they are not good untill they be rotten: then in that they open at the head as our medlars, and are about the same bignesse: otherwise in taste and colour they are farre different: for they are as red as cheries and very sweet: but whereas the cherie is sharpe sweet, they are lushious sweet: Hariot (1588) sig. D1 (p. 25 recensionis interretialis)
Fontes antiquiores
1557: Relaçam verdadeira dos trabalhos que ho governador dom Fernando de Souto y certos fidalgos portugueses passarom no descobrimento da provincia da Frolida. Eborae: Andrés de Burgos; fol. xl verso ("Ameixas da terra")
1609: Marc Lescarbot, Histoire de la Nouvelle France, contenant les navigations, découvertes, et habitations faites par les François és Indes Occidentales et Nouvelle-France (Lutetiae: Jean Milot) p. 853; 3a ed. Lutetiae: Adrian Perier, 1617-1618 textus ("il y a une sorte de mellier [i.q. nèflier] desquelz le fruit est meilleur que celui de France")
1609: Richard Hackluyt, interpr., Virginia richly valued, by the description of the maine land of Florida ... out of the foure yeeres continuall trauell ... of Don Ferdinando de Soto, and sixe hundred able men in his companie. Londinii: Matthew Lownes; p. 38 et passim; Recensio interretialis Oxoniensium et Michiganensium ("Plummes of the countrie")
c. 1612: William Strachey, The historie of travell into Virginia Britania (Virginia Freund, Louis B. Wright, edd. Londinii: Hakluyt Society, 1953) ("pessemmins" fide The Oxford English Dictionary (Oxonii: Clarendon Press, 1989. 20 voll.))
1615: Ralph Hamor, A true discourse of the present estate of Virginia, and the successe of the affaires there till the 18 of June 1614 (Londinii) p. 22 editionis 1626 ("pissmienplums in bygnes and fashion like a medlar, of a s[t]ipticke quality")
1624: Ioannes Smith, The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles (Londinii: Michael Sparkes) p. 26 ("putchamins")
1629: John Parkinson, Paradisi in sole Paradisus terrestris (Londinii: Humphrey Lownes) p. 570 ("pishamin, Virginia plumme")