Firethorn Pyracantha spp.

Family: Malaceae (often included in Rosaceae). Form: Shrub Origin: Native of Asia. Flowers/Seedhead: Flowers: In white clusters. Flowers mostly in spring and summer. Description: Evergreen shrubs to 4 m high. Leaves lanceolate to ovate. Fruit maturing red, orange or WEEDeck Series © Sainry & Associates, J. Thorp/NWSEC 2002 yellow. Distinguishing features: Distinguished by spines on branches; flowers with 5 white petals and numerous stamens; fruit a globeshaped pome (false fleshy fruit, an apple is a pome). Dispersal: Spread by seed that is mostly bird or water dispersed. Confused With: Pyracantha species are often confused with each other. See taxonomic texts for detailed distuishing features. Cotoneaster species are similar but lack thorns.

Flowers & fruit photo J.R. Hosking

Notes: Commonly planted as ornamentals. There are at least 5 naturalised Pyracantha species in Australia. The most widespread is Orange Firethorn, Pyracantha angustifolia, which has leaves that are hairy on the lower surface. Other locally common species are Nepal Firethorn, Pyracantha crenulata, Pyracantha rogersiana and Pyracantha fortuneana. The other naturalised species is Pyracantha koidzumii. Firethorns are mostly naturalised around habitation, paticularly in urban woodlands and forests. Plants shade out native species and thorny thickets restrict access to invaded areas.

References:

Flora of NSW. G. Harden (ed), Vol. 1, 1990, page 546–547. Bush invaders of South-East Australia. A. Muyt, 2001, pages 211–212. Environmental weeds: a field guide for SE Australia. K. Blood, 2001, pages 74–75.