NAME:  Chinese Quince

OTHER COMMON NAMES:  Mugua / Mogwa / Karin

SCIENTIFIC NAME:  Chaenomeles Sinensis syn. Pseudocydonia Sinensis

COLOR:  Pink Flowers / Yellow Fruit

PLANT SEEDS:  Fall sow seeds or cold stratify

BLOOM TIME:  April - May

HARVEST:  October

HARDINESS ZONE:  5 - 8

PLANT HEIGHT:  15 - 20'

PLANT SPACING:  10 - 12'

LIGHT REQUIREMENTS:  Sun

SOIL & WATER PREFERENCES:  Average

QUANTITY:  20 Seeds

OTHER:  The Chinese Quince Tree, a native of China, is loved for its delicious edible fruit & ornamental value. The trees are thornless & semi-evergreen with fall leaves in lovely shades of yellow, scarlet, & dark red. Plants can tolerate sandy or heavy clay soils, & are cold hardy to zone 5, equivalent to – 20 degrees F. They are also a popular bonsai specimen.

Large fragrant 1 1/2" pink flowers cover the tree in spring, & attract bees & butterflies. The Quince fruit starts out green & matures a yellow orange by fall. The fruit has a wonderful sweet spicy scent. They are so heavily fragranced, the fruits are used as an air freshener. To use them as an air freshener, simply place the fruit in a room, perhaps in a bowl, & then they can also be turned into a handy midnight snack! Chinese Quince fruit measures 5 - 7" long, & has a sweet flavor. It is often served sugared or with honey, for jams, pies & deserts, as well as juices & liqueurs.