[Overview]
An evergreen shrub.
The branches have thorns.
The leaves are simple and alternate, thick, with a glossy surface.
Corymbs arising from the leaf axils bear many white five-petaled flowers.
The fruit is flattened-spherical and ripens to red, orange, yellow and other colors.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or cuttings.
The germination rate drops if seeds dry out, so take fully ripe fruits, wash off the pulp thoroughly, and sow immediately.
It grows well in any soil as long as the site is sunny and well drained.
The sunnier the site, the better it fruits.
It dislikes being transplanted when mature.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient unless summer brings a long spell of sunny weather and the soil becomes severely dry.
Apply organic fertilizer or slow-release chemical fertilizer as fertilizer in winter.
Prune after flowering, finishing by late autumn when the flower buds form.
It tolerates hard pruning.
There are no particular pests or diseases.
