Chaenomeles oblonga
Rosaceae
Quince
A native to Iran AND Turkey, a pome fruit (related to apples and pears), this is one of the most ancient of fruit trees still in cultivation.
Deciduous tree 5 to 8 metres tall.
Flowers are attractive to 5cm across, self fertile, so cross pollination is not needed to produce the large fruits.A single fruit can be up to 0.5 kg. As green fruits turn yellow they are ripening and ready to harvest. Fruits are hard like an apple but gritty like pears; even more gritty than pears.
Uses
Fruits are bitter when eaten raw.
They are mostly cooked (commonly with sugar or sweeter fruits such as apples or pears) and eaten as a pie filling, as stewed fruit, or used to make jams, chutneys, or other preserves.
Culture
A very hardy plant. tolerating heavier, wetter soils and drier periods than many other fruits. It doesn’t need as much winter chilling as pears and apples and can be even grown in sub tropical climates. It will however produce a better crop if in a deeper, fertile, well drained soil, with some irrigation in dry weather.
Trees can break under the weight of extra heavy crops if branches are not attended to. Either thin fruit or use props to support heavy branches.
Propagation
Propagate easily from hardwood cuttings. Named cultivars are grafted onto cutting grown rootstock.
Cultivars
No information available at this time...
Plant Health
Pests and diseases can damage fruits; but birds and other animals will take fruit if not protected or judiciously harvested.
More info
No information available at this time...
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