Cydonia is a monotypic genus in the family Rosaceae (order Rosales), containing a single species, Cydonia oblonga, the quince. It belongs to the subtribe Malinae — the same group that includes apples (Malus) and pears (Pyrus) — within the subfamily Amygdaloideae.
The quince is a deciduous shrub or small tree, typically reaching 4 to 6 metres in height and 3 to 4.5 metres in width. Young twigs are covered in grey down. Leaves are oval with a downy underside. The solitary flowers, which appear in late spring after the leaves, are white or pale pink and ornamentally attractive. The fruit is a hard, aromatic, golden-yellow pome, often pear-shaped but sometimes roughly spherical, and can weigh up to 1 kilogram. Unlike most familiar pome fruits, ripe quince remains hard, tart, and astringent and is not typically eaten raw; it is instead processed into jam, quince paste (membrillo), jelly, or alcoholic drinks.
Native to the forests south of the Caspian Sea in Iran, quince has been cultivated since antiquity. The Greeks called it the "Cydonian apple" (kydonion mēlon), associating it with the city of Kydonia on Crete. It was sacred to Aphrodite in Greek culture and is mentioned by Theophrastus and Pliny the Elder. Charlemagne ordered it planted in his orchards, and it reached England by the 13th century and the Americas by the 17th.
Today quince is grown on all continents in warm-temperate and temperate climates. It is also cultivated as an ornamental for its spring blossoms and, on a smaller scale, as a bonsai subject.
Etymology
The genus name Cydonia derives from the Greek kydonion mēlon, meaning "Kydonian apple", a reference to the ancient city of Kydonia (modern Chania) on Crete, where quinces were famously cultivated. The English common name "quince" entered the language in the 14th century as a re-interpreted plural of "quoyn", via Old French cooin and Latin cotoneum malum.
Distribution
Cydonia oblonga is native to the Hyrcanian forests south of the Caspian Sea in Iran, its centre of origin. From there it was spread by Neolithic farmers (c. 5000–3000 BC) to Turkey, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kashmir, Afghanistan, and Syria, and subsequently across Europe, Russia, China, India, and North Africa. It is now cultivated on all continents in warm-temperate and temperate regions.
History
Quince has been cultivated around the Mediterranean since antiquity, known in Akkadian as supurgillu and regarded as sacred to Aphrodite by the ancient Greeks. Theophrastus noted that quince does not come true from seed. Charlemagne directed that quinces be planted in well-stocked orchards; the fruit is first recorded in England around 1275, when Edward I had trees planted at the Tower of London. European settlers introduced it to North America in the 17th century and to Central and South America in the 18th century.
Cultivation
Quince is hardy and drought-tolerant, adapting to a wide range of soils with low to medium pH. It tolerates both shade and full sun, though sunlight improves flowering and fruit ripening. The tree requires a cool dormancy period (below 7 °C) to flower properly. Propagation is by cuttings or layering; cuttings produce better plants but take longer to mature. Named cultivars are grafted onto quince rootstock, and quince itself is widely used as a dwarfing rootstock for pear cultivars. Fruits are left on the tree to ripen fully and harvested in late autumn before the first frosts.
Taxonomy Notes
Cydonia is a monotypic genus — its single species Cydonia oblonga is the only member. It is placed in the subtribe Malinae of subfamily Amygdaloideae within Rosaceae, making it a close relative of apples (Malus), pears (Pyrus), and medlar (Mespilus). GBIF recognises 1 descendant taxon.
