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Pyracantha coccinea M.Roem.

Scarlet firethorn (en), Buisson ardent (fr), Pyracantha écarlate (fr), Pyracantha à fleurs peu nombreuses (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Rosales > Rosaceae > Pyracantha

Characteristics

A thorny evergreen bush. It grows 1-5 m high. It spreads to 4.5 m wide. The leaves are alternate with small irregular teeth around the edge. They are oval to sword shaped. Leaves are dark green and glossy above. The thorns also bear leaves. The leaf stalks are hairy. The flowers are white and occur in dense heads. The fruit are bright red berries.
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Shrub, up to 2 m high; evergreen; young shoots downy. Stems leafy; armed. Leaves simple; blade narrowly ovate or oblong-ovate, 13-35 x 5-10 mm, apex acute, margins serrate, surfaces glabrous. Flowers: in axillary clusters, inflorescences finely pubescent; calyx glabrous; petals white. Fruit a scarlet-red pome.
Shrub, up to 5 m high. Leaves lanceolate to oblong-ovate, serrulate, glabrate. Inflorescence finely pubescent. Fruit scarlet. Flowers white.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread endozoochory
Mature width (meter) 2.5 - 4.0
Mature height (meter) 2.5 - 2.85
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) 0.5
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a temperate plant. It is frost hardy. It will grow in most soils. It can grow in sun or shade. It can tolerate exposure to wind. It is often on rocky slopes and in scrub. It suits hardiness zones 5-9.
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Woods and hedges.
Light 4-8
Soil humidity 3-6
Soil texture 2-5
Soil acidity 4-8
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 6-8

Usage

The fruit are used for making jellies, sauces and marmalades.
Uses environmental use material medicinal ornamental
Edible fruits
Therapeutic use Cardiac (unspecified), Cyanogenetic (unspecified), Diuretic (unspecified), Poison (unspecified), Tonic (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

It can be grown from seeds or cuttings. It does not transplant easily once established.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) 40 - 180
Germination temperacture (C°) 7
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment stratification
Minimum temperature (C°) -23
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Pyracantha coccinea habit picture by Joël Pagot (cc-by-sa)
Pyracantha coccinea habit picture by cscoq (cc-by-sa)
Pyracantha coccinea habit picture by Lydia Sara (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Pyracantha coccinea leaf picture by Ole Scheller (cc-by-sa)
Pyracantha coccinea leaf picture by Fernández Sergio (cc-by-sa)
Pyracantha coccinea leaf picture by Marco Amaducci (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Pyracantha coccinea flower picture by sandrine darde (cc-by-sa)
Pyracantha coccinea flower picture by Kelebek Ekrem (cc-by-sa)
Pyracantha coccinea flower picture by Zoe Richardson (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Pyracantha coccinea fruit picture by Tom Flower (cc-by-sa)
Pyracantha coccinea fruit picture by Johanna Jurke (cc-by-sa)
Pyracantha coccinea fruit picture by ginger plantt (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Pyracantha coccinea world distribution map, present in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Brazil, Canada, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, France, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Georgia, Greece, Croatia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Italy, Lebanon, Mexico, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Peru, Portugal, Slovakia, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, Taiwan, Province of China, Ukraine, United States of America, Uzbekistan, and South Africa

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:730611-1
WFO ID wfo-0001008214
COL ID 4QPXZ
BDTFX ID 54118
INPN ID 116485
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Crataegus pyracantha Timbalia pyracantha Pyracantha pyracantha Pyracantha spinosa Crataegus hyracantha Cotoneaster pyracantha Crataegus pauciflora Pyracantha lucida Pyracantha vulgaris Mespilus lalandi Pyracantha coccinea Pyracantha pauciflora Mespilus pauciflora Gymnopyrenium pyracantha Mespilus pyracantha Pyracantha coccinea var. pauciflora

Lower taxons

Pyracantha coccinea var. lalandei
WorldFloraDB 2024