Chaenomeles speciosa (Sweet) Nakai

Large, suckering, spiny shrub up to 3–(4) m high when mature and several m diam.; stems brownish olive, smooth, shining and glabrous when young, often forming dense thickets. Lvs distributed along length of first-year, non-flowering stems, and in fascicles on short shoots on older flowering stems; petiole 6–12 mm long, green or red-tinged, glabrous; blade obovate to elliptic, finely serrate to crenate, (30)–50–80–(100) × 20–50 mm, acute and often curled at tip, attenuate to petiole at base, glabrous, ± shining and deep green on upper surface, paler below; lvs of short shoots on flowering stems similar but smaller; stipules prominent, reniform, up to 12 × 20 mm, crenate. Fls in fascicles of (3)–4–5, 25–35 mm diam., ± sessile. Sepals fused at base; lobes broadly ovate to oblong, 3–5 mm long, green, glabrous, with hyaline ciliate margins. Petals 5, ± overlapping, suberect or spreading, broad-ovate to orbicular, 12–20 mm diam., shortly clawed; limb white to bright pink to scarlet. Stamens < petals; filaments coloured as in petals. Fr. up to 60 mm diam., ± broadly ovoid to subglobose but often misshapen, yellowish and often brown-speckled, indented at base and apex.

[From: Webb et al. (1988) Flora of New Zealand. Volume 4.]

Flowering: May–Nov.–(Apr.)