Bloom Day April - Japanese Quince, Chaenomeles

P.S. Thanks to Julie at Gardening and other Stuff the Japanese quince has a name: 'Toyo Nishiki'

I was all set to post a bunch of pictures of different flowers but decided to showcase a wonderful specimen instead. Even if it threatens to poke out my eye with two inch thorns every time I go by with the lawn mower, the flowers in spring make avoiding the hazard worthwhile. Well...more than worthwhile.




Pretty...no? I don't know the name of this particular variety but I much prefer it over the more common all red varieties.


This is a flowering quince or more correctly Chaenomeles, sometimes called a Japanese quince and not to be confused with the Quince (Cydonia oblonga) used for eating. I also planted two Cydonia oblonga but the flowers were not as prominent or beautiful and it was buggy and prone to powdery mildew fungus. I bought the Cydonia oblonga because I thought it was the same plant as the ones at the "Cloisters" in New York but they are actually Medlars. I bought a Medlar last year which was grafted onto a hardier stock but the Medlar part died during the mild winter. :(
So no Medlar but the stock is sprouting. I may keep it to see what it becomes. Whew, what tortured drivel.

Some information about Chaenomeles taxonomy from Wikipedia: "In the 19th and 20th centuries the name "japonica" was widely used (although, since japonica is a specific epithet which is shared by many other plants, this common name is particularly unhelpful). Originally used to refer to C. japonica, the latter common name was (and still is) often loosely applied to Chaenomeles, regardless of their species. The most commonly cultivated chaenomeles referred to as "japonica" are actually the hybrid C. × superba and C. speciosa, not C. japonica."

Another beautiful salmon colored Chaenomeles is the Chaenomeles x superba (Cameo). Take a look and see if you don't agree. I may have to try to obtain this one too.

Here's a wonderful website showing pictures of several Chaenomeles and other Japanese plants.

The floridata.com website has a photo of a Chaenomeles that looks very similar to mine. So the plant may be a Chaenomeles speciosa 'Moerloosei' or 'Apple Blossom'. From the Floridata website: "Description
This ugly duckling of the garden spends most of the year as a shrubby tangle of branches and nondescript foliage. However, for a brief few weeks in late winter to early spring, it transforms into a ravishing beauty. Flowering quince is a deciduous shrub growing from 5-10 ft (1.5-3 m) in height and about as wide. The simple leaves are arranged alternately on the stems which are typically thorny and densely tangled. Very early in the season, the bare branches are adorned with brilliant 1.5-2 in (4-5 cm) blossoms. The Japanese have worked for centuries identifying preferred selections and creating hybrids of flowering quince that bloom in shades of scarlet, crimson, rose and brilliant red. This is a very popular garden item that is frequently planted. There is white tinged with pink and pink tinged with white and white tinged with lemon and, well.. you get the idea. The hybrid flowering quince, Chaenomeles x superba, is a cross between C. speciosa and C. japonica and it also is available in a range of colors and flower shapes including single, semi-double and double. The shrub produces a hard greenish-yellow round fruit that is about 2 in (5 cm) in diameter."

I have never seen fruit on our plant so it may be a sterile hybrid.