Japanese name: ボケ（木瓜） Scientific name:Chaenomeles speciosa
[Overview]
A deciduous shrub about 1–2 m tall.
It branches well, and the twigs become thorn-like.
The leaves are oblong to elliptic with serrated margins, and the stipules are kidney-shaped, 1–2.3 cm.
Before the leaves emerge, several flowers at a time are borne in the axils of short branches.
The flowers are 2.5–3.5 cm across, and their color varies: red, scarlet, white, bicolored and so on.
The fruit is elliptic, 4–7 cm long, and ripens yellow.
[History]
It is said to have been introduced during the Heian period, and many horticultural varieties have been created.
Breeding is presumed to have begun in the Edo period, by selecting variants such as those with large flowers or changed flower colors.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed, cuttings, root division or root cuttings.
Care is needed against crown gall and cedar-apple rust.
