Chaenomeles
| Chaenomeles | |
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| Chaenomeles in flower, probably a cultivar of C. × superba | |
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| Genus: | Chaenomeles |
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Chaenomeles cathayensis | |
Chaenomeles is a genus of three species of deciduous spiny shrubs, usually 1–3 m tall, in the family Rosaceae. They are native to eastern Asia in Japan, China and Korea. These plants are related to the Quince (Cydonia oblonga) and the Chinese Quince (Pseudocydonia sinensis), differing in the serrated leaves, and in the flowers having deciduous sepals and styles that are connate at the base.
The leaves are alternately arranged, simple, and have a serrated margin. The flowers are 3–4.5 cm diameter, with five petals, and are usually bright orange-red, but can be white or pink; flowering is in late winter or early spring. The fruit is a pome with five carpels; it ripens in late autumn.
Chaenomeles is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Brown-tail and the leaf-miner Bucculatrix pomifoliella.
Common names
Gardeners in the West often refer to these species as "flowering quince" (although all quince have flowers). In the 19th and 20th centuries the name "japonica" was widely used (although, since japonica is a specific epithet which is shared by many other plants, this common name is particularly unhelpful). Originally used to refer to C. japonica, the latter common name was (and still is) often loosely applied to Chaenomeles, regardless of their species. The most commonly cultivated chaenomeles referred to as "japonica" are actually the hybrid C. × superba and C. speciosa, not C. japonica.
Species and hybrids
C. cathayensis is native to western China and has the largest fruit of the genus, pear-shaped, 10–15 cm long and 6–9 cm wide. The flowers are usually white or pink. The leaves are 7–14 cm long.
C. japonica (Maule's Quince or Japanese Quince) is native to Japan, and has small fruit, apple-shaped, 3–4 cm diameter. The flowers are usually red, but can be white or pink. The leaves are 3–5 cm long.
C. speciosa (Chinese Flowering Quince; syn.: Chaenomeles laganaria, Cydonia lagenaria, Cydonia speciosa, Pyrus japonica) is native to China and Korea, and has apple-shaped fruit 5–6 cm diameter. The flowers are red. The leaves are 4–7 cm long.
Four named hybrids have been bred in gardens. The commonest is C. × superba (hybrid C. speciosa × C. japonica), while C. × vilmoriniana is a hybrid C. speciosa × C. cathayensis, and C. × clarkiana is a hybrid C. japonica × C. cathayensis. The hybrid C. × californica is a tri-species hybrid (C. × superba × C. cathayensis). Numerous named cultivars of all of these hybrids are available in the horticultural trade.
Uses
The species have become a popular ornamental shrubs in parts of Europe and North America, grown in gardens for their bright flowers. Some cultivars grow up to 2 m tall, but others are much smaller and creeping.
They are also suitable for cultivation as a bonsai.
The fruit are very hard and astringent and very unpleasant to eat raw, though they do soften and become less astringent after frost (when they are said to be "bletted"). They are, however, suitable for making liqueurs, as well as marmalade and preserves, as they contain more pectin than apples and true quinces. The fruit also contain more vitamin C than lemons (up to 150 mg/100 g).