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It is naturally distributed in southern and southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia. It grows on the edges of forests, in thickets or within deciduous forests, from the lowlands to the foothills around 1500 m above sea level.
Habitus: deciduous shrub or smaller tree. It grows up to 5 meters in height, forming multiple slender trunks and a rounded, dense canopy. The root system is well developed and deep. The bark is gray, cracked and falls off in small layers, young shoots are olive-brown, smooth and often finely hairy.
Flower: bisexual, regular, small, numerous, they are found on about 0.5-1 cm long stalks and are collected in shield-like inflorescences. The flowers appear already at the end of winter before the leaves, they bloom for about 2 weeks.
Leaf: alternate, ovoid, 4-8 cm long, about 3 cm wide, shiny, entire edges, sparsely hairy on both sides, pointed at the top, with accentuated veins that follow the shape of the leaf, they are on short, often reddish coloured petioles.
Prefers dry, warm and sunny places, calcareous soil.
It is planted in gardens for its edible fruits, and in parks as an ornamental plant.
The fruits are edible and used in food products.
It is propagated by seeds and vegetatively by cuttings in late summer, layering and root shoots.
ArborTech project has been funded with the support from the European Commission, with the reference number 2021-1-SI01-KA220-VET-000028108. The content of this website reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
