''Pseudocydonia sinensis'' or Chinese quince () is a

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

or semi-

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

in the family

Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus '' Rosa''. The family includes herbs, shrubs, and trees. Most species are deciduous, but som ...

, native to southern and eastern

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. It is the sole species in the genus ''Pseudocydonia''. Its hard, astringent fruit is used in

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence ...

Lim, T. K. "Pseudocydonia sinensis." Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants. Springer Netherlands, 2012. 515-522. and as a food in

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

. Trees are generally tall. The tree is closely related to the east Asian genus '' Chaenomeles'', and is sometimes placed as ''Chaenomeles'' ''sinensis'', but lacks thorns and has single, not clustered,

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s. Chinese quince is further distinguished from quince, '' Cydonia oblonga,'' by its serrated

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

and lack of fuzz.

Names

, both the tree and its fruit are called ''mùguā'' (), which also refers to papaya and the flowering quince ''( Chaenomeles speciosa).'' In

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

the tree is called ''mogwa-namu'' () and the fruit ''mogwa'' (; from ''mokgwa'' (), the Korean reading of the Chinese characters). In

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, both tree and fruit are called ''karin'' (; rarely ) except in medicine where the fruit is called ''wa-mokka'' () from the Chinese and Korean names.

Characteristics

Trees grow to 10–18 m tall, with a dense, twiggy crown. The

are alternately arranged, simple, 6–12 cm long and 3–6 cm broad, and with serrated margin. The

s are 2.5–4 cm diameter, with five pale pink

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s; flowering is in mid spring. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

is a large ovoid

pome In botany, a pome is a type of fruit produced by flowering plants in the subtribe Malinae of the family Rosaceae. Pome fruits consist of a central "core" containing multiple small seeds, which is enveloped by a tough membrane and surrounded by a ...

12–17 cm long with five carpels; it gives off an intense, sweet smell when it ripens in late autumn.

Uses

The fruit is hard and astringent, though it softens and becomes less astringent after a period of frost. It can be used to make jam, much like

quince The quince (; ''Cydonia oblonga'') is the sole member of the genus ''Cydonia'' in the Malinae subtribe (which contains apples, pears, and other fruits) of the Rosaceae family. It is a deciduous tree that bears hard, aromatic bright golden-yel ...

. In Korea, the fruit is used to make '' mogwa-cheong'' (preserved quince) and '' mogwa-cha'' (quince tea). The fruit is also used in traditional Chinese medicine. Chinese quince is also grown as an

ornamental tree Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

. In

Haeju Haeju () is a city located in South Hwanghae Province near Haeju Bay in North Korea. It is the administrative centre of South Hwanghae Province. As of 2008, the population of the city is estimated to be 273,300. At the beginning of the 20th centu ...

, North Korea two Chinese Quinces planted in 1910 are national monuments, being probably the tallest of specimens in the country.

Gallery

Image:Chaenomeles sinensis 3.JPG, Image:A trunk of Chaenomeles sinensis Koehne PC120032.jpg, Trunk detail Image:A leaf of Chaenomeles sinensis Koehne PC120027.jpg, Leaf detail Image:Pseudocydonia sinensis-Zampach-01.jpg, Autumn leaves

References

{{Interwiki extra, qid=Q1334892 Maleae Monotypic Rosaceae genera Trees of China Plants used in bonsai Fruit trees

Names

Characteristics

Uses

Gallery

See also

References