Chaenomeles superba Texas Scarlet - Flowering Quince

Chaenomeles x superba 'Texas Scarlet' is a variety known for its early flowering with numerous bright red flowers, encompassing a heart dotted with many yellow anthers, grouped in bunches along bare, thorny and shiny branches. It is followed in autumn by small yellow-green fruits with a bitter taste, edible in the form of jams and jellies. This Japanese quince has a compact and spreading habit. It is suitable for creating low hedges and for planting in borders, as a standalone or ideally trained against a wall in a small garden. Its small obovate foliage, with a glossy dark green colour, contributes to the elegant charm of this species. Vigorous and undemanding, this deciduous bush only fears dry or chalky soils. It flowers better in the sun but will tolerate partial shade.

Chaenomeles x superba is a horticultural hybrid obtained around 1900 by G. Frahm in a German nursery. It is the result of cross-breeding between Chaenomeles japonica, the true Japanese quince, and its close relative C. speciosa. These two bushes from the Rosaceae family originate from East Asia and are perfectly cold-resistant.

The 'Texas Scarlet' cultivar is a slightly sucker-producing bush, with fairly rapid growth, and a compact, low and spreading habit. When mature, it reaches an average height of 1.5m (5ft) and a width of 2m (7ft). Its flowering takes place in March-April depending on the regions, shortly before or at the same time as the appearance of the foliage. The flowers bloom on the previous year's branches. The flowers measure 4cm (2in) in diameter and bloom in groups of 3 to 5. Cup-shaped, they are composed of 5 to 8 bright red petals surrounding a dark red stamen covered in yellow pollen. They are followed by the formation of globular and fragrant fruits, measuring 4 to 5cm (2in) in diameter, with a yellow colour. Its deciduous foliage, which falls in winter, is dark green in colour, sometimes tinged with purple on young leaves. The entire, elongated oval-shaped leaves measure from 3 to 6cm (1 to 2in) long.

The Japanese quince is a very robust plant, to the point that it sometimes survives amidst brambles in old abandoned hedges. It can be used in flowerbeds, as an informal or defensive hedge, or even in pots on a terrace or balcony. Bonsai enthusiasts also appreciate it. In a defensive hedge, it can be planted, for example, with rugosa roses, barberries, Poncirus trifoliata, Pyracantha, hawthorn, or sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides). Two or three vigorous climbing roses like 'Mermaid' or 'Paul's Himalayan Musk' placed between these bushes will further discourage wanderers or opportunists of all kinds from eating your strawberries, flowers, or apples.

An extract called cananga essence is obtained from the fruit, which should not be confused with the one obtained from Cananga odorata, the Ylang-ylang. It is also a medicinal plant.