Plantae > Tracheophyta > Magnoliopsida > Rosales > Rosaceae > Pyracantha > Pyracantha coccinea

Pyracantha coccinea (scarlet firethorn)

Synonyms:

Wikipedia Abstract

Pyracantha coccinea, the scarlet firethorn is the European species of firethorn that has been cultivated in gardens since the late 16th century. The tree has small white flowers. It produces small, bright red berries. The fruit is bitter and astringent, making it inedible when raw. The fruit can be cooked to make jellies, jams, sauces and marmalade. It ranges from southern Europe to western Asia. It has been introduced to North America and cultivated there as an ornamental plant since the 18th century. In England, since the late of 18th century, it was used to cover unsightly walls.
View Wikipedia Record: Pyracantha coccinea

Infraspecies

Pyracantha coccinea var. coccinea
Pyracantha coccinea var. lalandii

Attributes

Allergen Potential [1]  Medium
Screening - Summer [2]  Dense
Screening - Winter [2]  Moderate
Bloom Period [2]  Late Spring
Drought Tolerance [2]  Low
Edible [3]  May be edible. See the Plants For A Future link below for details.
Fire Tolerance [2]  None
Flower Type [3]  Hermaphrodite
Frost Free Days [2]  5 months
Fruit/Seed Abundance [2]  High
Fruit/Seed Begin [2]  Summer
Fruit/Seed End [2]  Fall
Growth Form [2]  Single Crown
Growth Period [2]  Spring, Summer
Growth Rate [2]  Rapid
Hazards [3]  Although no specific mention has been seen for this species, it belongs to a genus where most, if not all members of the genus produce hydrogen cyanide, a poison that gives almonds their characteristic flavour. This toxin is found mainly in the leaves and seed and is readily detected by its bitter taste. It is usually present in too small a quantity to do any harm but any very bitter seed or fruit should not be eaten. In small quantities, hydrogen cyanide has been shown to stimulate respiration and improve digestion, it is also claimed to be of benefit in the treatment of cancer. In excess, however, it can cause respiratory failure and even death.
Leaf Type [3]  Evergreen
Lifespan [2]  Perennial
Pollinators [3]  Bees
Propagation [2]  Bare Root, Container, Cutting, Seed
Root Depth [2]  18 inches (46 cm)
Seed Spread Rate [2]  None
Seed Vigor [2]  Medium
Seeds Per [2]  175000 / lb (385809 / kg)
Shape/Orientation [2]  Irregular
Structure [3]  Shrub
Usage [3]  Tolerant of trimming and of reasonable exposure, it can be grown as a hedge; It forms a very spiny barrier;
Vegetative Spread Rate [2]  None
Flower Color [2]  White
Foliage Color [2]  Green
Fruit Color [2]  Orange
Fall Conspicuous [2]  Yes
Flower Conspicuous [2]  Yes
Fruit Conspicuous [2]  Yes
Height [3]  13.12 feet (4 m)
Width [3]  13.12 feet (4 m)
Hardiness Zone Minimum [2]  USDA Zone: 8 Low Temperature: 10 F° (-12.2 C°) → 20 F° (-6.7 C°)
Light Preference [2]  Full Sun
Soil Acidity [2]  Neutral
Soil Fertility [2]  Very Rich
Water Use [2]  Moderate
View Plants For A Future Record : Pyracantha coccinea

Protected Areas

Predators

Consumers

Parasitized by 
Podosphaera clandestina[8]

External References

USDA Plant Profile

NatureServe Explorer

Citations

Attributes / relations provided by
♦ 1Derived from Allergy-Free Gardening OPALS™, Thomas Leo Ogren (2000)
♦ 2USDA Plants Database, U. S. Department of Agriculture
♦ 3Plants For A Future licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
♦ 4HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants Gaden S. Robinson, Phillip R. Ackery, Ian J. Kitching, George W. Beccaloni AND Luis M. Hernández
♦ 5Ben-Dov, Y., Miller, D.R. & Gibson, G.A.P. ScaleNet 4 November 2009
♦ 6Corythucha cydoniae (Fitch) (Insecta: Hemiptera: Tingidae), F.W. Mead (retired), Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry; and T.R. Fasulo, University of Florida, May 1999. Latest revision: August 2015
♦ 7Biological Records Centre Database of Insects and their Food Plants
♦ 8Jorrit H. Poelen, James D. Simons and Chris J. Mungall. (2014). Global Biotic Interactions: An open infrastructure to share and analyze species-interaction datasets. Ecological Informatics.
Abstract provided by DBpedia licensed under a Creative Commons License
Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0