TAMEEZ
(Sorbus lanata)

A tree of tameez

Family: Rosaceae

Synonym: Pyrus lanata

Other names: Anj

Tameez is native to high Himalayas.  This fruit which occurs naturally from the North East Afghanistan to Nepal, is known b y different names in every region.  It is found in the moist, temperate and sub-alpine outer Himalayan and Hindukush slopes and valleys at elevations from 3000-3600 m.  It is also found in the Kurram Vaklley and slkopes in Safed Koh range of Pakistan.  The fruits are edible but have to be perfectly ripe or even over ripe for this purpose because under ripe fruits are astyringent.

Description:

A medium or medium – large deciduous tree growing upto 10 m.

               Leaves simple, serrate, ovate to obovate, 8-16 mm long, 4-8 mm wide, densely tomentose with white wooly tomentum on the undersides of leaves and on young shoots.

A voucher specimen of tameez

               Flowers white, hermaphrodite, in densely wooly corymbs,  and pollinated by insects.

Fruit roundish, 2-4 cm in dia, orange with a heavy red blush when ripe, born on bunches, sweet.

Cultivation:

Tameez trees perform best when planted in sunny positions.  It does well on all type of soils provided it is well drained.

               New plants are mostly raised from seed except for anj, which is a clonal selection with relatively large fruits.  The seeds require 16-18 weeks’ stratification for good germination.

flowers of tameez

               The plant can also tolerate winds quite well.

Utilization:

The fruits are edible.  These are best for eating after these are stored for a month at a cool and dry place.  At this stage they turn soft. If the fruits are going to be eaten raw, then these are bletted.