Pyracantha coccinea
Species of flowering plant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pyracantha coccinea, the scarlet firethorn[2] is the European species of firethorn or red firethorn that has been cultivated in gardens since the late 16th century.[3]
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| Pyracantha coccinea | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Genus: | Pyracantha |
| Species: | P. coccinea |
| Binomial name | |
| Pyracantha coccinea | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Synonymy
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Description
Vegetative characteristics
Pyracantha coccinea is an evergreen[4] or deciduous,[5] up to 2 m tall shrub[6] with stems bearing sharp thorns.[7]
Generative characteristics
The many-flowered inflorescence[8] bears white,[7] bisexual, 7-8 mm wide flowers.[4] The fruit is red, 5 mm wide, globose to egg-shaped.[6]
Cytology
The chromosome count is 2n = 34.[9]
Taxonomy
It was described by Max Joseph Roemer in 1847.[10]
Etymology
The genus name Pyracantha, from the Greek pyr meaning fire and akantha meaning thorn, refers to the thorny branches and the bright red fruit.[7] The specific epithet coccinea, from the Latin coccineus, means deep red.[11]
Distribution and habitat
It is native to Albania, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Iran, Italy, Crimean Peninsula, Lebanon, Syria, North Caucasus, Balkan Peninsula, Spain, Switzerland, Transcaucasus, and Turkey.[1]
Uses
In England, since the late 18th century, it has been used to cover unsightly walls.[12]
Cultivars
- Pyracantha coccinea 'Kasan'.[13]
- Pyracantha coccinea 'Lalandei'. About 1874, M. Lalande, a nurseryman in Angers, France, selected from seedlings of P. coccinea an improved form, more freely berrying than the type. A sport has produced a yellow-berried form. These, and further selections, have largely ousted the ordinary form from nursery stock.[14]
- Pyracantha coccinea 'Sparkler'.[15]
