Chaenomeles

Shrubs [or trees], (0.2–)10–20 dm. Stems few to many, erect or spreading; bark purplish brown, blackish brown, purplish black, or purple, with scattered pale brown lenticels; long and short shoots present; thorns present; glabrous or hairy young, smooth older; buds triangular-ovoid, apex obtuse or acute, scale margins glabrous or hairy. Leaves deciduous or semipersistent, cauline, simple; stipules persistent, free, reniform or suborbiculate, rarely ovate, leaflike, margins serrate or crenate-serrate; petiole present; blade spatulate, obovate, elliptic, or ovate, 3–9 cm, firm or leathery, margins flat, serrate or crenate-serrate, venation pinnate, surfaces glabrous, sometimes midvein abaxially. Inflorescences terminal on short branches, appearing lateral on branch as a whole, [2 or]3–5[–10]-flowered, fascicles, glabrous or hairy; bracts present or absent; bracteoles present or absent. Pedicels present, short, or absent. Flowers opening before or with leaves, perianth and androecium epigynous, 25–50 mm diam.; hypanthium campanulate, ± constricted at mouth, 4–7 mm diam., exterior glabrous; sepals 5, reflexed or ascending, suborbiculate or ovate, abaxial surface glabrous, adaxial hairy; petals 5, white, pink, or red, obovate or ovate to suborbiculate, base short-clawed, apex rounded; stamens 40–60, equal to or 1/2 length petals; carpels 5, connate, adnate to hypanthium, indumentum not recorded, styles 2–5, terminal, basally connate 1/3 of length, nearly equal to stamens; ovules 2. Fruits pomes, sessile, yellow or yellowish green, globose, subglobose, or ovoid, 23–60 mm diam., 5-locular, glabrous; fleshy; hypanthium persistent; sepals deciduous; carpels cartilaginous; styles deciduous. Seeds 10 per locule. x = 17.

Chaenomeles

Chaenomeles

Gallery

Share With Your Friends

More Info

Taxonomy