Quince
Cydonia oblonga

Family: Rosaceae

What it is like

Cydonia oblonga is a deciduous Tree growing to 7.5 m (24ft) by 7 m (23ft) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4 and is not frost tender. It is in flower in May, and the seeds ripen in November. 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 can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 7.5

Where it is found

Damp rich soils in hedgerows and thickets.

Europe - Mediterranean. An occasional garden escape in Britain.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Fruit - raw or cooked. When grown in warm temperate or tropical climates, the fruit can become soft and juicy and is suitable for eating raw. In cooler climates such as Britain, however, it remains hard and astringent and needs to be cooked before being eaten. It is used in jellies, preserves etc. The cooked fruit adds a delicious flavour to cooked apples. Strongly aromatic with a firm but rather gritty flesh. The fruit is rich in pectin. The fruit is about 10m long and 9cm wide, tapering to the stalk. A nutritional analysis is available. A drink can be made by adding the dried crushed seed to water, simmering for 5 minutes and sweetening to taste. Flowers. No further details are given.

Drink: not including plant saps, tea or coffee substitutes.

Gum: can be chewed as a chewing gum or can often be used as a sweetener or thickening agent in foods.

Pectin: a substance that is used to thicken jams etc and as a culture medium in laboratories.

Medicine

Rating: 2

The stem bark is astringent, it is used in the treatment of ulcers. The seed is a mild but reliable laxative, astringent and anti-inflammatory. When soaked in water, the seed swells up to form a mucilaginous mass. This has a soothing and demulcent action when taken internally and is used in the treatment of respiratory diseases, especially in children. This mucilage is also applied externally to minor burns etc. The fruit is antivinous, astringent, cardiac, carminative, digestive, diuretic, emollient, expectorant, pectoral, peptic, refrigerant, restorative, stimulant and tonic. The unripe fruit is very astringent, a syrup made from it is used in the treatment of diarrhoea and is particularly safe for children. The fruit, and its juice, can be used as a mouthwash or gargle to treat mouth ulcers, gum problems and sore throats. The leaves contain tannin and pectin. Tannin can be used as an astringent whilst pectin has a beneficial effect on the circulatory system and helps to reduce blood pressure.

Antiinflammatory: Reduces inflammation of joints, injuries etc.

Antivinous: Treats addiction to alcohol

Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.

Cardiac: Used in the treatment of heart problems.

Carminative: Reduces flatulence and expels gas from the intestines.

Demulcent: Soothes, lubricates and softens irritated tissues, especially the mucous membranes.

Digestive: Aids digestion.

Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.

Emollient: Softens the skin, causing warmth and moisture.

Expectorant: Clears phlegm from the chest by inducing coughing.

Hypotensive: Reduces blood pressure, it is used in the treatment of high blood pressure

Laxative: Stimulates bowel movements in a fairly gentle manner.

Pectoral: Relieves respiratory diseases, a remedy for chest diseases.

Refrigerant: Cools the body.

Restorative: Restores consciousness or normal physiological activity.

Stimulant: Excites or quickens activity of the physiological processes. Faster acting than a tonic but differing from a narcotic in that it does not give a false sense of well-being.

Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.

Other

Rating: 3

A mucilage obtained from the seed coat is used as a gum arabic substitute to add gloss to material. The seed contains 20% mucilage and 15% fatty oils. The fruit is rich in pectin. Pectin is said to protect the body against radiation. The leaves contain 11% tannin.

Gum: Gums have a wide range of uses, especially as stabilizers, emulsifiers, thickening agents, adhesives etc.

Pectin: A substance that is used to thicken jams etc and as a culture medium in laboratories.

Rootstock: Plants used as the rootstock for grafting scions onto.

Size: Used on materials, paper etc to give a surface that will take ink, dyes etc.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

Succeeds in most soils but prefers a light moist fertile soil and a sunny position. Dislikes very dry or waterlogged soils. Succeeds in semi-shade but does not fruit so well in such a position. Plants also tolerate quite deep shade, though they will often not fruit at all in such a position. Plants are hardy to about -15°c, though the fruit seldom ripens in the north of Britain unless it is grown against a sunny wall. The quince has been cultivated for over two thousand years for its edible fruit and its seed, though it is not a widely grown crop. It is also much used as a dwarfing rootstock for pears and some other fruits. There are some named varieties. Plants require warm summers in order to fully ripen their fruit. The var. 'Maliformis' ripens well in cooler summers. The plant is heat tolerant in zones 9 through 3. (Plant Hardiness Zones show how well plants withstand cold winter temperatures. Plant Heat Zones show when plants would start suffering from the heat. The Plant Heat Zone map is based on the number of "heat days" experienced in a given area where the temperature climbs to over 86 degrees F (30°C). At this temperature, many plants begin to suffer physiological damage. Heat Zones range from 1 (no heat days) to 12 (210 or more heat days). For example Heat Zone. 11-1 indicates that the plant is heat tolerant in zones 11 through 1.) For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is a standard with a non-suckering single trunk. The root pattern is flat with shallow roots forming a plate near the soil surface.

Propagating it: Seed - probably best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe, it can also be sown in February. It requires stratification, pre-chill the seed for 18 weeks if it is fresh, whilst old seed will require 2 weeks of warm stratification first and then 18 weeks cold treatment. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the cold frame for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of mature wood, November in a cold frame. Layering in spring. Takes 1 year. Suckers, removed in spring.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Secondary; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge;

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 5-9

Growth: Medium

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

Shade: Full shade, semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

The seed is poisonous. Like many of the species in the family Rosaceae it contains hydrogen cyanide (this is the substance that gives almonds their characteristic flavour). 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.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

C. vulgaris. Pyrus cydonia.