Chinese Quince, Quince
Pseudocydonia sinensis

Family: Rosaceae

What it is like

Bloom Color: Pink. Main Bloom Time: Early spring, Late spring, Mid spring. Form: Vase.

Pseudocydonia sinensis is a deciduous Tree growing to 6 m (19ft) by 6 m (19ft) at a slow rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 6. It is in flower from April to May, and the seeds ripen in October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 6

Where it is found

Found at elevations around 1000 metres in Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hebei, Hubei, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Shandong and Zhejiang Provinces.

E. Asia - China.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 2

Fruit - eaten as a sweetmeat, candied, preserved in syrup or made into a liqueur. The juice can also be mixed with ginger and made into a beverage. The fruit is very large, up to 18cm long.

Medicine

Rating: 1

The fruit is antitussive. It contains several medically active constituents including organic acids plus the flavonoids rutin and quercetin. It is used in Korea to treat asthma, the common cold, sore throats, mastitis and tuberculosis.

Antitussive: Prevents or relieves coughing.

Other

Rating:

The fruits are very aromatic and are placed in a bowl to impart a delightful spicy scent to a room. Wood - hard, dark red. Used for picture frames.

Pot-pourri: Aromatic plants used to impart a pleasant smell to an area. Can this be grouped with incense or essential oil?

Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.

How it is grown

Landscape Uses:Specimen. Requires a sunny position, succeeding in any reasonably good soil that is well-drained but not dry. Trees are very hardy when grown in a continental climate with long hot summers but in the cooler climate of Britain where they do not always ripen their wood they are only reliably hardy to about -5°c. They grow well on a south-facing wall and this is the only way to ensure that they fruit well in Britain. A plant growing in a sunny position on the south side of tree cover at Kew was 3.5 metres tall in spring 1995 and looked healthy. Occasionally cultivated, especially in China, for its edible fruit, there are some named varieties. There is a disagreement over the correct name for this species, with some authorities using Pseudocydonia sinensis and others Chaenomeles sinensis. Flowers are produced on year-old wood. Special Features: Not North American native, Fragrant flowers, Attractive flowers or blooms.

Propagating it: Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in the autumn. Stored seed requires 3 months cold stratification and should be sown as early in the year as possible. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Layering.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge;

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 5-8

Growth: Slow

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Chaenomeles sinensis. Cydonia sinensis. Malus sinensis.