Pyracantha coccinea - Scarlet Firethorn (Rosaceae) ------Pyracantha coccinea is an urban-tolerant shrub with -spines often terminate the spur shoots, with the spiny branches, showy white malodorous late spring spines also obscured by the dense foliage inflorescences, broadleaf evergreen dense foliage, Trunk spire-like upper branches, and orange autumn fruits. -multi-trunked, brown, and somewhat rough, but seldom noticed due to the low branching and FEATURES evergreen foliage Form -medium-sized to large- USAGE sized ornamental shrub Function -species form matures at -formal or informal thorny barrier hedge, visual about 15' tall x 15' wide, but screen, specimen, or wall espalier; often incorrectly cultivars are usually smaller, used as a foundation shrub (where it gets too large) and most shrubs are Texture frequently pruned to smaller -medium texture dimensions anyway -thick density -upright oval growth habit Assets in youth, becoming open, -showy autumn true-orange fruits (some forms are straggly, and spreading red-orange or yellow-orange) -medium growth rate (rapid rate if pruned back hard) -showy late spring white inflorescences Culture -broadleaf evergreen foliage -full sun to partial shade -dense spiny growth serves as a bird refuge and as a -very tolerant of urban conditions and adaptable to barrier to traffic poor soils, compacted soils, soils of various pH, heat, Liabilities drought, and heavy pruning -many old and new cultivars are prone to unsightly -propagated by seeds or rooted stem cuttings and sometimes lethal fireblight and fruit scab -a number of minor disease and pest problems affect -inflorescences are somewhat malodorous this plant, but the 2 major diseases are scab -spines are sharp and mostly hidden by the foliage (primarily affecting the fruits) and fireblight -unnattractive bronzed foliage may "burn" or die in (affecting the newly emergent leaves and stems) severe winters -commonly available in the trade -fruits are not persistent into winter -in moderate to severe zone 5 winters, the bronzed -most forms get far too large and spreading for the broadleaf evergreen foliage will "burn" or die site in which they are located, and require frequent -best time to prune vigorously growing specimens or pruning to keep them in-bounds (which reduces espaliers is either right after bloom (to set up flower flowering and fruiting the following year) buds and fruits for the following year) or in autumn Habitat or early spring (to gain firm control with heavy -Zones 5 (or 6) to 9 pruning, and forego flowering and fruiting for an -Native to Southern Europe entire year) Foliage SELECTIONS -dark green, broadleaf Alternates evergreen to semi-evergreen, -barrier shrubs/hedges with spines/thorns/prickles and becoming unattractively (Acanthopanax sieboldianus, Berberis koreana, bronzed in winter Berberis x mentorensis, Berberis thunbergii, etc.) -densely alternate (clustered on -shrubs with ornamental autumn and winter fruits the short spur shoots), (Aronia arbutifolia, Ilex verticillata, Myrica lanceolate to narrow elliptical, pensylvanica, Rosa rugosa, etc.) and lightly serrated Cultivars – Variants – Related species Flowers -although many cultivars and a few species exist, -white, somewhat malodorous, primarily noted for their disease resistance, fruit in late May to early June, as color, relatively compact habit, and/or cold hardiness, flat-topped to slightly curving most are still moderately to severely susceptible to 2-3" diameter inflorescences, fruit scab and foliage/stem fireblight; the most derived from floral buds on the common in the nursery trade are: previous year's spur shoots -Pyracantha coccinea 'Kasan' - to 8' x 8', with red- Fruits orange berries, but susceptible to scab -orange, orange-red, or yellow, -Pyracantha angustifolia 'Yukon Belle' - to 7' x 7', depending upon cultivar with orange fruits, probably the most hardy orange- -heaviest ornamental fruiting occurs on unpruned berried form, but susceptible to scab and fireblight shrubs of scab-resistant cultivars sited in full sun, and -Pyracantha 'Gnome' - to 7' x 7', with orange can be ornamentally outstanding in early autumn berries, but susceptible to scab when contrasted against the dark green foliage -Pyracantha 'Gold Rush' - to 10' x 10, with orange- -maturing in Sept. as pendulous clusters from the yellow fruits, resistant to scab, but only cold hardy to numerous spur shoots, and usually persistent only zone 7 into late autumn, before abscission or being eaten by -Pyracantha 'Mohave' - to 10' x 10', with orange-red wildlife berries, being both scab and fireblight resistant Twigs -Pyracantha 'Navaho' - similar to 'Mohave', but -pubescent purple-green when emergent, changing to maturing at 6' x 8' brown but often obscured by the dense foliage