Quince

Shrubs or small trees, to 8 m tall. Branchlets purplish red when young, purplish brown when old, terete, initially densely tomentose, glabrous when old, sparsely lenticellate; buds purplish brown, tomentose. Stipules caducous, ovate; petiole 0.8–1.5 cm, tomentose; leaf blade ovate to oblong, 5–10 × 3–5 cm, abaxially with conspicuous veins and densely villous, adaxially glabrous or sparsely pubescent when young, base rounded or subcordate, margin entire, apex acute or emarginate. Pedicel ca. 5 mm or nearly absent, densely tomentose. Flowers 4–5 cm in diam.; bracts caducous, ovate. Hypanthium campanulate, abaxially densely tomentose. Sepals ovate or broadly lanceolate, 5–6 mm, longer than hypanthium, both surfaces tomentose, margin glandular serrate, apex acute. Petals white or pinkish, ca. 1.8 cm. Stamens less than 1/2 as long as petals. Styles nearly as long as stamens, densely villous basally. Fruit fragrant, yellow, pear-shaped, 3–5 cm in diam., densely tomentose; with persistent reflexed sepals; fruiting pedicel ca. 5 mm, stout, tomentose. Fl. Apr–May, fr. Oct. 2n = 34*.

W. & C. Asia; widely cultivated in Himalaya, China and other regions.

Cultivated. Fujian, Guizhou, Jiangxi, S Shaanxi (Qin Ling), Shanxi, Xinjiang [native to C Asia].

Pyrus cydonia Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 480. 1753; Cydonia vulgaris Persoon.