Chaenomeles speciosa (commonly known as flowering quince, Chinese quince, or Japanese quince) is a thorny deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub native to eastern Asia. The flowers are usually red, but may be white or pink.
The flowering quince is a thorny, multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a somewhat messy growth habit but beautiful red, orange, white, or pink flowers to go with shiny, dark green foliage. Related to roses, flowering quince has a thorny habit and easy-to-grow nature that makes it a good choice for barrier or border plantings. The shrub is a dense mound of gray-brown spiny twigs with five-petal flowers about two inches in diameter. The flowers last for about 10 to 14 days and are followed by yellowish-green fruits that can be used in preserves and jellies. The oval leaves with serrated edges are a glossy dark-green, growing to a maximum of about 3 1/2 inches. Most gardeners find flowering quince to be easy to grow and care for.
