Pseudocydonia sinensis

Chinese Quince

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Pseudocydonia genus in the family Rosaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Pseudocydonia
Life cycle: perennial
Foliage: deciduous
Woodiness: woody
Height: 6 m
Spread: 6 m
Fertility: Insects
Flower type: hermaphrodite
Pollinators: Insects

Uses

Edible uses

Fruit - eaten as a sweetmeat, candied, preserved in syrup or made into a liqueur^[11]^[7]. The juice can also be mixed with ginger and made into a beverage^[7]. The fruit is very large, up to 18cm long^[2]^[6].

Plant part: Fruit
Preparation: Fresh, Candied, Preserved
Product or use: Candy

The fruit can be eaten as a "sweetmeat" (assumed to mean enjoyed as as candy) and are often candied or preserved in syrup.

Plant part: Fruit
Preparation: Raw, Juiced
Product or use: Drink

The juice can also be mixed with ginger and made into a beverage^[13].

Plant part: Fruit
Preparation: Fermented
Product or use: Alcohol, Liquer

The fermented fruit can be made into a liqueur^[15]^[13].

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

The fruit is antitussive^[5]^[10]. It contains several medically active constituents including organic acids plus the flavonoids rutin and quercetin^[10]. It is used in Korea to treat asthma, the common cold, sore throats, mastitis and tuberculosis^[10].

Plant part: Fruit
Product or use: Antitussive

The fruit is antitussive^[12]^[14].

Material uses

The fruits are very aromatic and are placed in a bowl to impart a delightful spicy scent to a room^[11]. Wood - hard, dark red. Used for picture frames^[5].

Plant part: Fruit
Preparation: Dried
Product or use: Pot-pourri

The fruits are very aromatic and are placed in a bowl to impart a delightful spicy scent to a room^[15].

Plant part: Wood, Stem
Preparation: Seasoned, Dried
Product or use: Carpentry, Cabinet making

It has a hard, dark red wood which has been used for picture frames^[12].

Environment

Range: E. Asia - China.
Habitat: Found at elevations around 1000 metres in Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hebei, Hubei, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Shandong and Zhejiang Provinces^[9].
Light: full sun
Shade tolerance: no shade
Water: moderate
Hardiness: Zone 6+
Soil textures: sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH: acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil: No
Drought: intolerant

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in the autumn^[8]. Stored seed requires 3 months cold stratification and should be sown as early in the year as possible^[4]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Layering.

Cultivation

Requires a sunny position^[1]^[3], succeeding in any reasonably good soil that is well-drained but not dry^[1]^[8]. Trees are very hardy when grown in a continental climate with long hot summers but in the cooler climate of Britain where they do not always ripen their wood they are only reliably hardy to about -5°c^[8]. They grow well on a south-facing wall^[3]^[8] and this is the only way to ensure that they fruit well in Britain^[1]. A plant growing in a sunny position on the south side of tree cover at Kew was 3.5 metres tall in spring 1995 and looked healthy[K]. Occasionally cultivated, especially in China^[11], for its edible fruit, there are some named varieties^[7]. There is a disagreement over the correct name for this species, with some authorities using Pseudocydonia sinensis^[3]^[8] and others Chaenomeles sinensis^[9]. Flowers are produced on year-old wood^[8].

References

F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
↩1 ↩2 ↩3
Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00
↩
Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00
↩1 ↩2 ↩3
Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0942375009
↩
Kariyone. T. Atlas of Medicinal Plants.
↩1 ↩2
Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977-00-00
↩
Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
↩1 ↩2 ↩3
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
↩1 ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6
Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
- Flora of China
↩1 ↩2
Medicinal Plants in the Republic of Korea World Health Organisation, Manila 1998-00-00 ISBN 92 9061 120 0
↩1 ↩2 ↩3
Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00
↩1 ↩2 ↩3
Kariyone. T. Atlas of Medicinal Plants. ()
↩1 ↩2
Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 (32202/01/01)
- ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
↩1 ↩2
Medicinal Plants in the Republic of Korea World Health Organisation, Manila ISBN 92 9061 120 0 (32202/01/01)
- ISBN 92 9061 120 0
↩
Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim (32202/01/01)
↩1 ↩2

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