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Japanese QuinceπΈ
Chaenomeles japonica
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A small deciduous shrub in the rose family's Chaenomeles genus. Native to Japan, growing wild from Honshu (south of Iwate) to Kyushu in sunny fields and hillsides. Only 30β100 cm tall, spreading low along the ground. Bears vermilion-red 5-petaled flowers in spring and fragrant yellow 3β4 cm fruits in summer. Used for fruit liquor and medicinal purposes ('mokka'), and popular as bonsai and garden shrubs.
Identification Points
- βSmall low-growing shrub 30β100 cm tall
- βThorny branches with ovate serrated leaves
- βVermilion-red 5-petaled flowers 2.5β3.5 cm across
Habitat
Mountain grasslands and forest edges (Honshu south of Iwate to Kyushu)
Season
March to May (flowers), August to September (fruit)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf shape
Ovate
Growth form
Shrub
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Petal count
5 petals
Flower color
Red
Flowering season
Spring
Habitat
Grassland
Phylogenetic Positionγγ©η§ β
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core eudicots > Rosales > Rosaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous (approx. 90 million years ago onward)
Sources & References
AI-generated, needs verification