Chaenomeles japonica

Although Japanese Flowering Quince is a showy, low maintenance shrub, it is typically not available for purchase commercially, as it is not as ornamental as other Chaenomeles cultivars and hybrids. The habit is open and wide spreading with an interlacing network of thorny stems.

The orange to orange-red blooms appear in late winter on bare stems and may remain during the leafing out period.  The bright blooms are complemented by creamy-white stamens.

For the best flowering, locate this plant in full sun.   Pruning should be accomplished in the spring after flowering is complete, as blooming takes place on old wood.  Pruning in the spring will also stimulate growth for more blooms the following year.  Avoid severe pruning.  

This plant spreads by suckers.  Removing them will help control spread it that is not desired.  

The fruits are edible, although have a bitter taste when eaten raw.  They can be used in making jellies and other preserves.

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems:  Years with heavy rainfall may cause fungal leaf spot, which can cause defoliation.  New growth can be affected by aphids.  Occasionally, scale and mites may be an issue.  Its framework of spiny stems can be a catch-all for debris.  

VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee.