Chaenomeles aka Flowering Quince

Chaenomeles is a genus of four species of deciduous spiny shrubs, usually 1–3 m tall, in the family Rosaceae. They are native to Southeast Asia. These plants are related to the quince (Cydonia oblonga) and the Chinese quince (Pseudocydonia sinensis), differing in the serrated leaves that lack fuzz, and in the flowers, borne in clusters, having deciduous sepals and styles that are connate at the base. The leaves are alternately arranged, simple, and have a serrated margin. The flowers are 3–4.5 cm diameter, with five petals, and are usually bright orange-red, but can be white or pink; flowering is in late winter or early spring. The fruit is a pome with five carpels; it ripens in late autumn. Chaenomeles is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the brown-tail and the leaf-miner Bucculatrix pomifoliella. This vigorous upright, deciduous shrub grows to about 1.5m tall and has spiny stems and glossy dark green leaves. It produces single, salmon-pink flowers edged and splashed white with pale yellow anthers in mid-spring, followed by large yellow-green fruits. The delightful soft apricot-pink blooms appear before the foliage, making it one of the first flowers to appear each year and they are long-lasting. This plant is also useful as a compact hedge or shrub, and its quince-like fruit attracts birds.