Chaenomeles japonica — Japanese flowering-quince
![Flowers: Chaenomeles japonica. ~ By Arnold Arboretum. ~ Copyright © 2024 Arnold Arboretum. ~ Arnold Arboretum Horticultural Library, hortlib[at]arnarb.harvard.edu](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com:443/taxon-images-1000s1000/Rosaceae/chaenomeles-japonica-fl-arnoldarb.jpg)
![Bark: Chaenomeles japonica. ~ By Louis-M. Landry. ~ Copyright © 2024 Louis-M. Landry. ~ LM.Landry[at]videotron.ca ~ CalPhotos - calphotos.berkeley.edu/flora/](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com:443/taxon-images-1000s1000/Rosaceae/chaenomeles-japonica-ba-llandry.jpg)
![Plant form: Chaenomeles japonica. ~ By Arnold Arboretum. ~ Copyright © 2024 Arnold Arboretum. ~ Arnold Arboretum Horticultural Library, hortlib[at]arnarb.harvard.edu](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com:443/taxon-images-1000s1000/Rosaceae/chaenomeles-japonica-ha-arnoldarb.jpg)
![Leaves: Chaenomeles japonica. ~ By Andrew Nelson. ~ Copyright © 2024 Andrew Nelson. ~ andrew.nelson[at]oswego.edu ~ Flora of Rice Creek Field Station - www.oswego.edu/academics/opportunities/rice_creek_field_station](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com:443/taxon-images-1000s1000/Rosaceae/chaenomeles-japonica-le-anelson2.jpg)
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New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
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enlargeFacts
Japanese flowering-quince is introduced in New England from Japan. This medium-sized shrub produces bright red flowers in summer, and edible, orange fruits in October. This plant prefers full sun, but can easily tolerate a range of dry soils.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats)
Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
- Vermont
- Growth form
- the plant is a shrub (i.e., a woody plant with several stems growing from the base)
- Leaf type
- the leaf blade is simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
- Leaves per node
- there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Leaf blade edges
- the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
- Leaf duration
-
- the leaves drop off in winter (or they wither but persist on the plant)
- the leaves remain green all winter
- armature on plant
- the plant has spines, prickles, or thorns
- Leaf blade length
- 30–50 mm
- Leaf stalk
- the leaves have leaf stalks
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is fleshy
- Bark texture
- the bark of an adult plant is thin and smooth
- Twig winter color
-
- black
- brown
- Bud scale number
- there are two scales on the winter bud, and their edges meet
-
Buds or leaf scars
- Bud scale number
- there are two scales on the winter bud, and their edges meet
- Bud scar shape (Fraxinus)
- NA
- Collateral buds
- there are no collateral buds on the sides of the branches
- Superposed buds
- there are no superposed buds on the branch
-
Flowers
- Carpels fused
- the carpels are fused to one another
- Enlarged sterile flowers
- there are no enlarged sterile flowers on the plant
- Flower petal color
- red
- Flower symmetry
- there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)
- Hairs on ovary (Amelanchier)
- NA
- Hypanthium present
- the flower has a hypanthium
- Inflorescence type
-
- the inflorescence has only one flower on it
- the inflorescence is a fascicle (compact cluster of flowers)
- Number of pistils
- 1
- Ovary position
-
- the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- the ovary is below the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Petal and sepal arrangement
- the flower includes two cycles of petal- or sepal-like structures
- Petal appearance
- the petals are thin and delicate, and pigmented (colored other than green or brown)
- Petal fusion
- the perianth parts are separate
- Sepal cilia (Ilex)
- NA
- Stamen number
- 13 or more
-
Fruits or seeds
- Berry color
- yellow
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is fleshy
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is a berry (fleshy, with the wall enclosing one or more sections, with two or more seeds)
- Nut with spines (Fagaceae)
- NA
-
Glands or sap
- Sap color
- the sap is clear and watery
- Stalked glands on fruit (Rosa)
- NA
-
Growth form
- Growth form
- the plant is a shrub (i.e., a woody plant with several stems growing from the base)
-
Leaves
- Hairs on upper side of leaf blade
- the upper side of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
- Leaf blade base shape
- the base of the leaf blade is cuneate (wedge-shaped, tapers to the base with relatively straight, converging edges), or narrow
- Leaf blade edges
- the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
- Leaf blade edges (Acer)
- NA
- Leaf blade hairs
- NA
- Leaf blade length
- 30–50 mm
- Leaf blade shape
- the leaf blade is obovate (egg-shaped, but with the widest point above the middle of the leaf blade)
- Leaf blade translucent dots
- there are no translucent dots on the leaf blade
- Leaf duration
-
- the leaves drop off in winter (or they wither but persist on the plant)
- the leaves remain green all winter
- Leaf lobe tips (Quercus)
- NA
- Leaf stalk
- the leaves have leaf stalks
- Leaf stalk nectaries
- there are no nectaries on the leaf stalk
- Leaf teeth
- the leaf blade margin is crenate (with rounded teeth) or crenulate (with tiny, rounded teeth)
- Leaf teeth hairs (Carya)
- NA
- Leaf type
- the leaf blade is simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
- Leaves per node
- there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Specific leaf type
- the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
- man-made or disturbed habitats
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Aerial roots
- the plant has no aerial roots
- Bark texture
- the bark of an adult plant is thin and smooth
- Branch brittleness (willows only)
- NA
- Branch cross-section
- the branch is circular in cross-section, or it has five or more sides, so that there are no sharp angles
- First-year cane (Rubus)
- NA
- Twig papillae (Vaccinium species only)
- NA
- Twig winter color
-
- black
- brown
- Wings on branch
- the branch does not have wings on it
- armature on plant
- the plant has spines, prickles, or thorns
Wetland status
Not classified
New England distribution and conservation status
Distribution
- Connecticut
- absent
- Maine
- absent
- Massachusetts
- absent
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
None
Native to North America?
No
Sometimes confused with
- Chaenomeles speciosa:
- branchlets smooth, not verrucose when old, leaf blades sharply serrate, and pome 40-60 mm in diameter (vs. C. japonica, with branchlets scabrous, becoming verrucose when old, leaf blades crenate, and pomes 30-40 mm in diameter).
Synonyms
- Cydonia japonica (Thunb.) Pers.
- Pyrus japonica Thunb.
Family
Genus
From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae
1. Chaenomeles japonica (Thunb.) Lindl. ex Spach E
Japanese flowering-quince. Cydonia japonica (Thunb.) Pers.; Pyrus japonica Thunb. • VT; also reported from CT by Magee and Ahles (1999), but specimens are unknown. Railroads, ditches, roadsides.