Pyracantha crenulata (D. Don) M. Roemer

Habit

Shrub

Family Description

Trees, shrubs or herbs; sometimes armed, indumentum of simple hairs (sometimes stellate in Rubus). Leaves alternate, simple or pinnately, stipules usually present. Flowers solitary or often in fascicles, racemes, cymes, corymbs or panicles, actinomorphic, bisexual, rarely unisexual. Calyx lobes, petals and stamens inserted at margin of calyx cup or tube (hypanthium). Calyx lobes 4-6, sometimes with as many outer epicalyx segments. Petals 4-6 or more, free. Stamens 4-many. Ovary of 1-many free, superior carpels or 4-6-celled, inferior or semi-inferior and united to calyx-tube; styles simple, free, sometimes united; ovules 1 or more per cell. Fruit an achene (often aggregated), follicle, drupe or pome.

Genus Description

Evergreen spinous shrubs. Leaves simple; stipules minute, caducous. Flowers in corymbose cymes terminal on short lateral shoots. Calyx tube turbinate, lobes 5. Petals 5. Stamens 20. Carpels 4-5, partly adnate to calyx tube, each with 2 fertile ovules; styles 4-5 free. Fruit (pome) ± fleshy, stones 4-5, free.

Species description

Shrub 2-4m, branches bearing stout spines 0.75-1.5cm. Leaves oblong or obovate 1-4 x 0.5-1.7cm, obtuse, base cuneate or attenuate, margin shallowly crenate-serrate, glabrous or pubescent only at base, subsessile or petioles 5mm. Cymes 5-10-flowered. Calyx tube 2mm; lobes triangular 1mm. Petals white, obovate 3-5 x 2-3mm. Pomes globose 6-7mm diameter,red.