Chaenomeles
This species comprises a verypopular group of Asiatic shrubs grown for theirbrightly colored flowers which appear in earlyMay before the leaves appear. At the turn of thecentury these were much used as hedges, butwith the increasing popularity of the JapaneseBarberry and the serious inroads of the SanJose scale, to which these flowering quinces areunfortunately susceptible, they are used moreand more only as specimen plants. They havebeen grown in Europe for over too years. Theyhybridize freely, nurserymen grow many fromseed and even the botanists have aided in theconfusion of the nomenclature during the pastseveral decades by changing the name from
Pyrus japonica to Cydonia japonica to Chaeno-meles lagenaria and now most recently, to C.speciosa.
The foliage of most varieties is a glossygreen, and rosaceous flowers range in color fromwhite through pink to dark red. Some varietieshave single flowers, others semi-double or double flowers, and these range in size from 1-2 in. in dia. Fruits are green and applelike andcan be used in making preserves, although thepectin and cooking qualities will vary con-siderably among the varieties. The commonquince, Cydonia oblonga, has fruits high inpectin.
Most varieties are thorny, with some of thethorns being modified branches. They can beeasily sheared and will make hedges. Un-fortunately, some nurserymen grow them fromseed, and at present there are several hundrednamed varieties—over I5o in the collection atthe Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain, Mass.The plants should be propagated asexually bycuttings, not by grafts, since they will grow wellonly on their own roots. Too often they aregrafted and on many plants it is not long beforethe undesirable understock takes over. Theycan be grown in almost any good soil. Theyneed corrective pruning occasionally, butotherwise they may be left alone and may berelied on to produce their brilliant flowers eachspring.
Propagation
Seeds may be sown as soon as ripe or strati-fied for 2 months at 40 F. or kept dry in air-tight containers in a cool place for up to a yearand then sown. Plants may be divided easily.Many layers may be forced from the plant andboth softwood and hardwood cuttings root well.
Insect Pests
Japanese Flowering Quince is a favorite host ofSan Jose scale. There isevidence that this scale was originally broughtto the U.S. on this plant. Dormant sprays withinsecticide #44 and summer sprays withinsecticide #15 and # 13 are advised.
japonica 3′ Zone 4 Japanese Quince
This is the lowest growing species and itsvariety alpina is probably the lowest growing ofall, being only a foot high and very dense. Theflowers of the species are red, and of alpina,orange. Both bloom in early May before theirleaves appear.
speciosa 6′ Zone 4 Flowering Quince
Native to China, this is the species to whichmost of the varieties and hybrids are closelyrelated. Now several hybrid species should alsobe included. C. x superba is a cross between C.japonica and C. speciosa, and in 1938 or there-abouts W. B. Clarke of San Jose, Calif., madeanother cross (C. cathayensis x C. superba) andit has been named C. x californica; this hybridspecies is hardy only in Zonc 6, while the otherChaenomeles varieties and hybrids are all hardyin Zone 4. The following list includes the bettervarieties and hybrids, but affinities are given sothat one can clearly note the C. x californicavarieties which are the least hardy of the lot.
Varieties
WHITE FLOWERS
`Candida’ (speciosa)‚Äîsingle flowers(speciosa)‚Äîsingle flowers`Snow’ (speciosa)‚Äîsingle flowers
WHITE TO PINK FLOWERS
`Apple Blossom’ (speciosa)‚Äîsingle flowers’Enchantress’ (x californica)‚Äîsingle flowers`Marmorata’ (speciosa)‚Äîsingle flowers
PINK FLOWERS
`Gaujardir (speciosa)—single flowers
`Phyllis Moore’ (speciosa)‚Äîsemi-doubleflowers
`Came0′ (x superba)‚Äîdouble flowers
`Knap Hill Scarlet’ (x superba)‚Äîsingleflowers
`Stanford Red’ (x superba)‚Äîsingle flowers`Pink Beauty’ (x californica)‚Äîsingle flowers
RED FLOWERS
`Crimson Beauty’ (x superba)‚Äîsingle flowers
`Crimson and Gold’ (x superba)‚Äîsingleflowers
`Simteii’(speci‚Äîdooble flowers’Cardinalis’ (speciosa)–double flowers’Rowallane’ (x superba)‚Äîsingle flowers
ORANGE FLOWERS
`Coral Beauty’ (x superba)‚Äîsingle flowers’Charming’ (x superba)‚Äîsingle flowers’naendic’ (x superba)‚Äîsingle flowers’Sunset’ (x superba)‚Äîdouble flowers`Glorying Ember’ (x superba)‚Äîsingle flowers
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