quince

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quince
Quince fruit (Cydonia oblonga)

Quince fruit ( Cydonia oblonga )

Systematics
Family : Rose family (Rosaceae)
Subfamily : Spiraeoideae
Tribe : Pyreae
Sub tribus : Pome fruit family (Pyrinae)
Genre : Cydonia
Type : quince
Scientific name of the  genus
Cydonia
Mill.
Scientific name of the  species
Cydonia oblonga
Mill.
Views of the fruit and cross-sections, here the Vranja variety

The quince [kvɪtə] ( Cydonia oblonga ) is the only plant species of the genus Cydonia and belongs to the subtribe the maloideae (Pyrinae) within the family of Rosaceae (Rosaceae). It is cultivated as a fruit tree .

Naming

The word “quince” (Old High German qitina and kutinna , Middle High German also kutin ) comes from Greek-Latin (malum) cydonium (quince apple, “Kydonian apple”) and is based on the Greek (melon) kydónion . A connection with the Greek city of Kydonia, today Chania in the northwest of the island of Crete , is probably based on a folk etymological interpretation.

The quince is also indirectly named after the jam (from Portuguese marmelo for quince, from the Greek melimelon "honey apple").

Older synonyms in the German language are Cretan apple, Kydonian apple, Hesperid apple, Venus or Adonis apple, cotton apple and taste pear.

Occurrence

The original homeland is in the Eastern Caucasus and the Transcaucasus . Populations in Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan , Syria and Afghanistan could have arisen from the long-ago human spread. First records of cultivated quinces from the Caucasus go back 4000 years, in Greece they are found from 600 BC. BC, with the Romans from 200 BC. In Central Europe it has only been cultivated since the 9th century, as a heat-loving plant there preferred in wine-growing areas.

Today the varieties are mainly planted in Asia and Europe . In Western and Central Europe, it plays a rather subordinate role. Commercial cultivation is rare in Germany. Good fruit qualities are achieved in Baden-Württemberg, the Palatinate and the Rhineland.

World production

In 2016 the world harvest was 678,000 tons. The country with the largest quince production in the world was Uzbekistan, which produced 22% of the world's harvest. Asia was responsible for about 76% of the world's harvest.

The ten largest quince producers in 2016 were:

Country of production Amount in t
UzbekistanUzbekistan Uzbekistan 149,467
TurkeyTurkey Turkey 126,400
China People's RepublicPeople's Republic of China People's Republic of China 111,968
IranIran Iran 74,418
MoroccoMorocco Morocco 32,087
LebanonLebanon Lebanon 30,376
AzerbaijanAzerbaijan Azerbaijan 28,248
ArgentinaArgentina Argentina 27,228
AlgeriaAlgeria Algeria 12,231
SerbiaSerbia Serbia 10,957
world 677.949

description

Illustration: the free stylus are easy to recognize

Vegetative characteristics

Cydonia oblonga is a deciduous shrub or small tree that reaches heights of 4 to 8 meters. The bark of young twigs is purple and hairy ( indument ) - later brownish purple and smooth. The small, hairy buds are only protected by a few scales.

Alternate, stalked, simple leaves
Flowers of the quince

The alternate leaves are divided into a petiole and a leaf blade. The hairy petiole is 0.8 to 1.5 inches long. The ovoid to rounded leaf blade, which is hairy, later balding, is 5 to 10 centimeters long and 3 to 5 centimeters wide. The leaf margin is whole and the tip is usually pointed or pointed, more rarely rounded to blunt or indented. The leaves are almost bare on top and somewhat hairy on the underside. There are stipules present.

Generative characteristics

The flowers stand individually on the tips of leafy branches, more precisely at the tip of this year's shoots on annual branches (to be observed when pruning trees). The hairy flower stalk is up to about 5 millimeters long. The hermaphroditic, radially symmetrical , five-fold flower has a diameter of 4 to 5 centimeters with a double flower envelope (perianth). The flower cup (hypanthium) is bell-shaped. The five sepals , hairy on both sides, are bent back and 5 to 6 millimeters long with a whole margin. The five free, white or pink petals are obovate and about 1.8 inches long. The 20 stamens are about half as long as the petals. The five lower carpels each contain many ovules . The five free styles are downy hairy at their base and almost as long as the stamens.

The quince only blooms for a short period in May and June. Since the quince is self-fertile, no second tree is needed for pollination .

The woolly hairy stalk is about 5 millimeters long. The yellow, fragrant, short-haired, multi-seeded fruit has a diameter of 3 cm to 5 cm in the wild form, cultivated varieties can produce significantly larger fruits. The knocked back sepals are clearly visible even when they are ripe. The fruits contain many seeds. The fruit is also called quince. It is a pod fruit - more precisely an apple fruit ; a false fruit - which is similar in structure to apples or pears. According to the external shape of the fruits, apple quinces ( Cydonia oblonga var. Maliformis ) and pear quinces ( Cydonia oblonga var. Oblonga ) are differentiated. It is one of the last fruits on the seasonal calendar and is harvested in late autumn, usually in October through November.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 34.

ingredients

Quince flower buds

The seeds contain mucilage, poisonous cyanogenic glycosides and oil. The quince fruit itself contains a lot of vitamin C , potassium , sodium , zinc , iron , copper , manganese and fluorine , tannins ( catechin and epicatechin), tannic acid , organic acids, a lot of pectin and mucilage.

ecology

Quinces are deciduous, thornless trees or shrubs. In culture, they were often grafted onto hawthorn ( Crataegus ) (today, however, they are preferably grafted onto specially suitable quince supports), while they are often used as a base for pears ( Pyrus ), the fruits of which ripen earlier and become particularly aromatic. Using this plant (and Acer campestre ) as an example , the Italian anatomist Marcello Malpighi (1628–1694) first described leaf development.

The flowers are large, feminine, intensely fragrant "nectar-bearing disc flowers". In each of the five fruit compartments there are 8 to 16 ovules arranged in two rows. The nectar is released at the base of the petals. Most pollinators are small bumblebees and other bee relatives. Most varieties are self-fertile, but cross- pollination usually promotes fruit set considerably. Flowering time is from May to June.

The fruits are large, apple or pear-like fruits, which are crowned by the remaining sepals that enlarge at the time of fruiting. The pulp has numerous stone cells. The pleasantly perceived fragrance is based on a mixture of at least 80 fragrances, especially esters . The well-known golden yellow color of the fruits, the so-called “quince yellow”, is mainly due to the flavone quercetin . The spread of the fruits takes place preferentially through the dormouse . Fruit ripens from September to October.

The vegetative reproduction takes place through root shoots.

use

Quince trees produce pale yellow fruits until late summer, which can even be picked in November. When the fruit is harvested, there is usually a slight fluff on it. The quince bears the first fruits four to eight years after being planted. The propagation of cultivars from cuttings or demolitions only succeeds sometimes. The plants are mostly commercially available by grafting refined.

Quinces ( Quince A ) are often used as a base for other fruit trees, especially pears .

Use as a food

Fruit of the quince
Quince bread (quince bacon)

The quince varieties that grow in Switzerland, Germany and Austria are unsuitable for raw consumption because they are hard and bitter due to the tannins. Elsewhere, however, there are also varieties that can be eaten raw, for example the shirin quince grown in Turkey. Quinces have a delicately sour, slightly bitter citrus aroma.

When preparing Central European varieties, the fluff or fur of the quince must be rubbed thoroughly with a (coarse) cloth before processing the fruit, as it contains plenty of bitter substances. Then the fruit can be used peeled or unpeeled. Brushing the down with a brass brush has also been tried and tested. Since the peel gets small scratches in the process, this much faster method is only used if the fruit is processed immediately.

Quinces are boiled, stewed, steamed, or baked for consumption. Quince can be used to make jam , compote , puree , chutney , quince soup , quince bread, juice and from them jelly ( quince cheese ), liqueur , wine , schnapps and secco (“sparkling wine”). The addition in cider or juice production is of regional importance . Baked they are suitable as a dessert or side dish to meat. Quince bread is a sweet made from thickened quince puree mixed with sugar, spread about 1 cm thick on a baking sheet, dried in the oven and then cut into 2-3 cm diamonds and turned in sugar. Quince bread is almost no longer available in stores in German-speaking countries; in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries, dulce de membrillo is a popular traditional Christmas or winter sweet.

The fruity-tart aroma of the quince can be ideally combined with cinnamon, ginger, orange peel, raisins, almonds and vanilla in the sweet range. The fruit also goes well with nutmeg, Szechuan pepper, coriander or cardamom.

Use as a medicinal plant

The ripe quince seeds are used as a medicinal drug.

Active ingredients: About 20% mucilage (mainly pentosans ), up to 1.5% amygdalin and fatty oil .

Application: Quince seeds are still occasionally used in folk medicine (not crushed, because otherwise hydrocyanic acid is released from amygdalin ) to prepare a mucus, which is considered a cough-relieving and mild laxative agent.

Externally, it is used in ointments or creams for cracked skin, chapped lips, sore nipples, burns, bedsores or hemorrhoids , and as a fat-free, non-irritating ointment base in cosmetics .

The juice of the whole fruit, which contains not only mucus but also plenty of tannins , can be useful for mild inflammation in the mouth and throat and for intestinal disorders.

Use as a fragrance dispenser

Ripe quinces can be used as a fragrance dispenser that exudes a pleasant aroma. Quinces used to be used as a natural fragrance for fresh laundry.

Shelf life

Caution is advised when storing for a longer period of time: the shell is as sensitive as a raw egg and easily bruises. To prevent the fruits from spoiling prematurely, they should be stored in a single layer in a box lined with newspaper or wood wool. At cool temperatures of 12 to 15 degrees, they can be stored for months and eaten into the next year

Quince varieties

Symbolism, mythology, art

The Q uarz sits deep in the mountain shaft,
The Q uitte is stolen at night.
( Wilhelm Busch , in: Natural History Alphabet ).
  • Quinces have always been a symbol of love, luck, fertility, wisdom, beauty, permanence and immortality.
  • In his book Quince for the people between Emden and Zittau, Max Goldt deals with the rare genre of the quince joke that he created .

Demarcation

The also edible ornamental quince ( Chaenomeles ) has only the part of the name in common with the quince, but is a separate plant genus within the rose family (Rosaceae) and is used as an ornamental plant in parks and gardens.

Others

In Astheim , Lower Franconia , a quince nature trail operated by the Mustea company leads through cultivation areas that are sometimes 100 years old. A cooperating tree nursery has probably the largest collection of quince varieties in Germany with over 100 varieties.

history

swell

Historical illustrations

literature

  • Gu Cuizhi (Ku Tsue-chih), Stephen A. Spongberg: Genus Cydonia and species Cydonia oblonga. P. 170 - text online with the same text as the printed work, In: Wu Zheng-yi, Peter H. Raven (Ed.): Flora of China. Volume 9: Pittosporaceae through Connaraceae. Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing and Saint Louis 2003, ISBN 1-930723-14-8 . (Section description, distribution and systematics).
  • Monika Schirmer: The quince - an almost forgotten type of fruit. IHW-Verlag, Eching 2003, ISBN 3-930167-54-9 . Botany, literature, art, remedies and recipes .
  • Rosenblatt, Lucas / Christandl, Freddy: Quinces. The comeback of a forgotten fruit. Hädecke 2007.
  • Rainer Söcknick-Scholz: Quinces - Forgotten Delicacies? púca-prints, Oldenburg 2003, ISBN 3-8311-5004-4 Cultural history, cultivation and exploitation .
  • Ruprecht Düll , Herfried Kutzelnigg : Pocket dictionary of plants in Germany and neighboring countries. The most common Central European species in portrait. 7th, corrected and enlarged edition. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2011, ISBN 978-3-494-01424-1 .
  • Ingrid and Peter Schönfelder : The new book of medicinal plants. Kosmos, Stuttgart 2011, ISBN 978-3-440-12932-6 .

Web links

Commons : Quince ( Cydonia oblonga )  - album with pictures, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: Quince  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. Kluge: Etymological Dictionary .
  2. ^ Franz Dornseiff : The Greek words in German. Berlin 1950, p. 48
  3. a b P. Hanelt, IPK (Ed.): Mansfeld's Encyclopedia of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops. (online) .
  4. a b FAOSTAT production statistics , accessed on January 25, 2018.
  5. Gu Cuizhi (Ku Tsue-chih), Stephen A. Spongberg: Genus Cydonia and Art Cydonia oblonga, p. 170 - online with the same text as the printed work, In: Wu Zheng-yi, Peter H. Raven (ed.): Flora of China. Volume 9: Pittosporaceae through Connaraceae. Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing and Saint Louis 2003, ISBN 1-930723-14-8 .
  6. Quittenwein / Quittenmost on quittenmost.de.
  7. MUSTEA Quittensecco quittensecco.de.
  8. ^ Wilhelm Busch: Münchener Bilderbogen Nro. 405/406 - Natural history alphabet for older children and those who want to become one. Wilhelm-Busch-Seiten, January 28, 2006, accessed October 30, 2018 .
  9. Astheim Quittenlehrpfad on quittenlehrpfad.de.
  10. Pedanios Dioscurides . 1st century: De Medicinali Materia libri quinque. Translation. Julius Berendes . Pedanius Dioscurides' medicine theory in 5 books. Enke, Stuttgart 1902, p. 67 (Book I, Chapter 55): Quittenöl (digitized) P. 135 (Book I, Chapter 160): Quince apples (digitized) P. 492 (Book V, Chapters 28 and 29): Other artificial Wines. Apple honey (digitized)
  11. Pliny the Elder , 1st century: Naturalis historia book XXIII, chapter 54 (§ 100-103): Cotonea (digitized version ) ; Translation Külb 1855 (digitized version )
  12. Galen , 2nd century De alimentorum facultatibus , Book II, Chapter 23 (based on the Kühn 1826 edition, Volume VI, p. 602): Cydonium (digitized version )
  13. Avicenna , 11th century: Canon of Medicine . Translation and adaptation by Gerhard von Cremona , Arnaldus de Villanova and Andrea Alpago (1450–1521). Basel 1556, Volume II, Chapter 155: Cydonium (digital copy )
  14. Ibn Butlan . 11th century: Taqwim es-sihha . Tacuinum sanitatis in medicina . Printed in German translation. Michael Hero (Lord) .: Chess boards of Gesuntheyt. III To the third party. All LXXXIIII tables have a special rule book approached / in common / and yeder dyenstlich. Hans Schott, Strasbourg 1533, pp. 4–5: Kytten (digitized version )
  15. Circa instans 12th century print. Venice 1497, sheet 202v – 203r: Mala citonia (digitized version )
  16. ^ Charles Victor Daremberg and Friedrich Anton Reuss (1810–1868). S. Hildegardis Abbatissae Subtilitatum Diversarum Naturarum Creaturarum Libri Novem. Physica , Book III, Chapter 4: Quince Tree . Migne, Paris 1855. Sp. 1220 (digitized version ) - Translation: Herbert Reier: Hildegard von Bingen Physica. Translated into German after the text edition by JP Migne, Paris 1882. Kiel 1980, p. 128: The quince is very cold and symbolizes the cunning that is sometimes useless, sometimes useful. Their wood and leaves are not useful for human consumption. Their fruit is warm and dry and has a good temperament in itself. If it is ripe, a sick and a healthy person can eat it raw without prejudice, cooked or dried it gives them a lot more. Those who are right should often eat this fruit cooked or dried. It suppresses gout in such a way that it does not dull his feelings, nor break or disfigure his limbs. And those who throw out a lot of saliva should often eat this fruit cooked or dried. It dries him out internally so that the saliva in him is reduced. If there is ulcer or rot in a person, he will eat that fruit boiled or dried and put it on the ulcer with other spices and he will be healed. Crush the salt and the third part of the millefolium and the mallow and place it on the ulcers. Their warmth overcomes that of the ulcers and the juice of the millefolium removes their putrefaction, but the mallow heals.
  17. ^ Konrad von Megenberg , 14th century: Book of nature. Output. Franz Pfeiffer . Aue, Stuttgart 1861, p. 319 (IVa / 13): Kütenpaum (digitized version )
  18. Michael Puff : Booklet of the burnt-out waters . 15th century print Augsburg (Johannes Bämler) 1478: Küttenplüe water (digitized version )
  19. Herbarius Moguntinus , Mainz 1484, Part II, Chapter 30: Citonia (digitized version )
  20. Gart der Gesundheit . Mainz 1485, Chapter 100: Citonia, quidden baum (digitized version )
  21. Hortus sanitatis 1491, Mainz 1491, Part I, Chapter 118: Citonia (digitized version )
  22. ^ Hieronymus Brunschwig : Small distillation book , Strasbourg 1500, sheet 65v – 66r: Kütten. Kütten blooms (digitized version )
  23. ^ Otto Brunfels : Ander Teyl des Teütschen Contrafayten Kreüterbůchs . Johann Schott, Strasbourg 1537, p. 151: Küttenbaum (digitized version )
  24. Leonhart Fuchs : New Kreütterbuch… Michael Isingrin, Basel 1543, Chapter 140: Kütten (digitized version )
  25. Hieronymus Bock : New Kreütter Bůch . Wendel Rihel, Strasbourg 1546, Part III, Chapter 43: Quinces or Kütten öpffel (digitized version )
  26. ^ Pietro Andrea Mattioli : Commentarii, in libros sex Pedacii Dioscoridis Anazarbei, de medica materia. Translation by Georg Handsch, edited by Joachim Camerarius the Younger , Johan Feyerabend, Franckfurt am Mayn 1586, sheet 82: Quittenbaum (digitized version )
  27. Nicolas Lémery  : Dictionnaire universel des drogues simples. , Paris 1699, pp. 246-247: Cydonia (digitized version ) ; Translation. Complete material lexicon. Initially drafted in French, but now after the third edition, which has been enlarged by a large [...] edition, translated into high German / By Christoph Friedrich Richtern, [...]. Leipzig: Johann Friedrich Braun, 1721, Sp. 383–384: Cydonia (digitized version )
  28. Albrecht von Haller (editor): Onomatologia medica completa or Medicinisches Lexicon which explains all names and artificial words which are peculiar to the science of medicine and the art of pharmacy clearly and completely [...]. Gaumische Handlung, Ulm / Frankfurt am Main / Leipzig 1755, Sp. 489–492: Cotonea (digitized version )
  29. ^ Carl Wilhelm Juch: Pharmacopoea Borussica or Prussian Pharmacopoeia. Translated from Latin and accompanied by comments and additions by Dr. Carl Wilhelm Juch , Stein, Nuremberg 1805, p. 134: Semen Cydoniorum (digitized version )
  30. Jonathan Pereira’s Handbook of Medicines Doctrine. From the point of view of the German Medicin edited by Rudolf Buchheim . Leopold Voß, Leipzig 1846-48, Volume II 1848, pp. 592-593: Cydonia vulgaris (digitized version )
  31. ^ Friedrich Mohr : Commentary on the Prussian Pharmacopoeia: along with translation of the text ... Friedrich Vieweg - Braunschweig. After the seventh edition of the Pharmakcopoea borussica. 1865, p. 567: Quince seeds (digitized version )
  32. ^ Theodor Husemann : Handbook of the entire drug theory. Springer, Berlin 2nd ed. 1883, p. 334: Semen Cydoniae. Mucilago Cydoniae (digitized)
  33. ^ Translation of the text by Franz Unterkircher. Tacuinum sanitatis ... Graz 2004, p. 48: Quince: Complexion: cold and dry in the 2nd degree. Preferable: full, large. Benefit: they delight the heart and strengthen the appetite. Harm: they cause colic. Prevention of harm: with sweetened dates. What they make: cold juices. Particularly beneficial for choleric people, for every age, every season and every region.