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Rosaceae FAMILY

Chaenomeles speciosa

Chaenomeles speciosa

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

Although no specific information has been seen, the seed is likely to contain cyanogenic glycosides. When injested, these compounds break down in the digestive tract to release cyanide. Used in small quantities in both traditional and conventional medicine, this exceedingly poisonous compound has been shown to stimulate respiration, improve digestion, and promote a sense of well-being[1]. It is also claimed by some to be of benefit in the treatment of cancer - though this claim has been largely refuted. In larger concentrations, however, cyanide can cause gasping, weakness, excitement, pupil dilation, spasms, convulsions, coma and respiratory failure leading to death[2]. The levels of toxin can be detected by the level of bitterness:- sweet almonds, for example, contain only very low levels of it and are safe to eat in quantity, whilst bitter almonds (which are used as a flavouring in foods such as marzipan) contain much higher levels and should only be eaten in very small quantities. Great caution should be employed if the taste is moderately to very bitter[PFAF].

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Shrub
Growth—

Chaenomeles speciosa is very cold-hardy, tolerating temperatures down to about -25°c when dormant[3]. It succeeds in most temperate climates but does, however, require a hot summer in order to fully ripen its fruit[4]. The plant is easily cultivated in any reasonably good soil[5, 4]. Prefers a deep, moist, well-drained loam[4]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Tolerates full shade but requires a sunny position for best fruit production[6, 4, 3]. Becomes chlorotic on very alkaline soils[3]. Tolerates atmospheric pollution[3]. In areas with cool summers that plants can be grown against a sunny wall, which will help to ripen the fruit[4]. A very ornamental plant[5], there are many named varieties developed for their ornamental value[7, 8]. Plants bloom on old growth. Avoid heavy pruning, generally only removing weak growth and diseased wood. If growing against a wall, prune to shape as needed immediately after flowering in order to stimulate growth of flowering spurs which will improve bloom for the following year - although this will reduce fruit production for the current year[9]. Closely allied to Chaenomeles japonica[4]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[3].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a sheltered position outdoors or in a cold frame[3]. Sow stored seed in late winter in a greenhouse[10]. Germination usually takes place within 6 weeks[10]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle. If well grown, these seedling can be large enough to plant out in the summer, but give them some protection in their first winter. Otherwise plant them out in late spring of the following year[PFAF]. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, mid summer in a frame[4]. Easy[11]. Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, late autumn in a cold frame. Layering in late spring or in autumn. This is a sure and easy method, though it takes 12 months[10, 3]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Chaenomeles+speciosa>

Pollinators

Bees

References

  1. [1]Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. — Bown. D. · Dorling Kindersley, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0-7513-020-31 ↩︎A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
  2. [2]Poisonous Plants of North Carolina — http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/poison.htm ↩︎An excellent concise but comprehensive guide to toxic plants that grow in N. Carolina. It lists even those plants that are of very low toxicity, including several well-known food plants such as carrots and potatoes.
  3. [3]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  4. [4]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  5. [5]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  6. [6]Growing Unusual Fruit. — Simmons. A. E. · David & Charles; Newton Abbot. · 1972 · ISBN 0-7153-5531-7 ↩︎A very readable book with information on about 100 species that can be grown in Britain (some in greenhouses) and details on how to grow and use them.
  7. [7]Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. — Thomas. G. S. · Murray · 1992 · ISBN 0-7195-5043-2 ↩︎Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.
  8. [8]Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications · 1990 · ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 ↩︎Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
  9. [9]KemperCentreForHomeGardeningPlantFinder — Missouri Botanical Garden · http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/ ↩︎Basic cultivation details, plant uses, habitat etc for several thousand species of plants, mainly from the temperate zone.
  10. [10]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
  11. [11]The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. — Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. · Athens Ga. Varsity Press · 1987 · ISBN 0942375009 ↩︎A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.
  12. [12]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
  13. [13]Flora of the British Isles. — Clapham, Tutin and Warburg. · Cambridge University Press · 1962 · ISBN - ↩︎A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
  14. [14]A Modern Herbal. — Grieve. · Penguin · 1984 · ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 ↩︎Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
  15. [15]Plants for Human Consumption. — Kunkel. G. · Koeltz Scientific Books · 1984 · ISBN 3874292169 ↩︎An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
  16. [16]Protective effects of Chaenomeles thibetica extract against carbon tetrachloride-induced damage via the MAPK/Nrf2 pa — Bingxin Ma; Jing Wang; Jing Tong; Gao Zhou; Yuxin Chen; Jing · Royal Society of Chemistry · 2016 · http://www.rsc.org/foodfunction · ISBN DOI: 10.1039/c5fo ↩︎
  17. [17]A Barefoot Doctors Manual. — ? · Running Press; Philadelphica. · 1977 · ISBN 0-914294-92-X ↩︎A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.
  18. [18]Medicinal Plants of China — Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. · Reference Publications, Inc. · 1985 · ISBN 0-917256-20-4 ↩︎Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
  19. [19]Polyphenols and triterpenes from Chaenomeles fruits: Chemical analysis and antioxidant activities assessment — Hui Du; Jie Wu; Hui Li; Pei-Xing Zhong; Yan-Jun Xu; Chong-Hu · 2013 · http://www.elsevier.com/locate/foodchem · ISBN DOI: 10.1016/j.fo ↩︎
  20. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎