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Crataegus azarolus L.
Rosaceae
Crataegus azarolus L. Sp. Pl. P. 447. 1753
Mespilus azarolus (L.) All.; Crataegus aronia Lindl.
Arabic: Zârour
French: Azérolier
English: Mediterranean medlar, hawthorn
Global: The Mediterranean, Europe, North Africa,
South West Asia.
Compiled by: Dr. Zeineb Ghrabi
Morphological description
This hawthorn is a perennial shrublet, shrub or
tree whose size when adult can vary from 1.5 m.
to 8 m. The young branches of the current and
previous year are woolly-hairy. The robust spines
can be at least 1 cm. long, but are often non-existent, especially in cultivated specimens. The tough,
gleaming leaves have a short, woolly (or at least
hairy) petiole even when adult and a limb divided
into 3-5 lobes that are whole or slightly toothed at
the tip.
The white or pinkish flowers cluster in a corymb
with robust cottony or hairy pedicels. The triangular sepals are usually hairy. The ovary has 2-3
styles.
The fruit has two stones over 1 cm. in diameter
and is fleshy, sugary, acid and scented.
Two varieties are mentioned in Tunisia: the var. euazarolus Maire, not very spiny, with red fruit at
maturity, and the var. aronia (Willd.) Batt., spiny
and with yellow fruit.
Flowering starts in March; fruiting ends in late
August, September.
Geographical distribution
Local: It grows wild or sometimes sub-wild, in the
Kroumirie, the dorsal ridge, Cap Bon and central
Tunisia.
Regional: Tunisia, Algeria.
Ecology
This hawthorn is found in semi-arid, sub-humid and
humid bioclimates on little developed soils, but
does not go up into the mountains.
Status, conservation, culture
The medlar is a wild species in Tunisia. Several trees
have been found in protective hedges; their size
implies that they were cultivated long ago and then
abandoned. Today it is picked for use, especially in
places not far from the capital, like the Tunisian dorsal
ridge (Zaghouan, Hammam Zriba, etc.), Jebba, Ghar El
Melh, etc. and the red or yellow fruits are sold as a
delicacy in the markets and by itinerant hawkers.
Medlar growing should be developed, for it could be
a sizeable source of income in semi-arid regions.
Part used
The branches and fruit.
Constituents
There are pro-cyanidic oligomers (2.5-4.5%), the
monomerous unit being mainly formed of catechin
or epicatechin; flavonoids; traces of essential oil.
Traditional medicine
The raw fruits, or a glass of decoction of leaves early
in the day, are taken for sugar diabetes. A decoction
of the leaves is used to treat gastric ulcers.
Use in herbal medicine
Oil from the fruit is used to treat a heart condition.
A Guide to Medicinal Plants in North Africa
101
References
Agence du médicament de Paris, 1998. Médicament
à base des plantes; Ministère de l'emploi et de
la solidarité française.
Bézanger - Beauquesne L. et M. Pinkas, 1980.
Plantes médicinales des régions tempérées. Ed.
Maloines.
Chemli R., 2004. Enquête Ethnobotanique de la
Flore de Tunisie . Fac. de Pharm. Monastir.
Programme National de Recherche (en cours
de publication)
Gordon Cheers et al.; 1997. Batanica. encyclopédie
de botanique et d'horticulture. Plus de 10 000
plantes du monde entier. Könemann. 1020 p.
Grisvard Paul et Chaudun V. , P. Chouard et A.
Guillaumin 19 . Le bon Jardinier. Encyclopédie
102
A Guide to Medicinal Plants in North Africa
horticole Tome second. La maison rustique.
888-1667.
Le Floc’h E. 1983 : Contribution à une étude ethnobotanique de la flore tunisienne. Programme
Flore et Végétation tunisienne. Min. de l’En.
Sup. et de la Rech. Sci. 387 p.
Maire R.; 1980. Flore de l'Arique du Nord (Maroc,
Algérie, Tunisie, Tripolitaine, Cyrénaîque et sahara). Vol. XV: Dicotyledonae, Rosales:
Saxifrgaceae, Pittosporaceae, Plantanaceae,
Rosaceae. Ed. Le Chevalier; Paris? 309 p.
Pottier Alapetite G., 1979 : Flore de la Tunisie.
Angiospermes- Dicotylédones, Apétales Dialypétales. Programme flore et végétation
tunisiennes. 651p.