Cydonia oblonga

A member of the Rosaceae Family, the Common Quince- Cydonia (sy-doe-nia) oblonga- is by no means common.  Ornamentally, this small deciduous tree to 12’ is valued for its golden yellow pear-like fuzzy fruit, its magnificent wide, spreading shape, and its beautiful bark and twisted branches.

Historically, quinces have been used for making jellies for centuries.  As a matter of fact, its tart, pectin-filled fruit was used in jellies to facilitate fruit set before commercial pectin became available.  Today, this fruit tree is still cultivated in the Middle and Near East as well as in and around the Mediterranean Sea and southern Europe.  In Portugal, quince jelly is made into a common confection.  The fragrant fruit has also been used for scenting rooms… as a natural “room enhancer” of sorts.

Cydonia oblonga is self-fruiting so only one tree is necessary to obtain good fruit production.  Several varieties are available including Portugal, Pineapple, Orange, Van Demon and Smyrna.  Flowers are white in colour and are about 2” to 2 ½” across.  They are solitary and appear at the ends of the current years’ spur shoots after the tree has leafed out.  Yearly pruning is required for aesthetic reasons. 

Foliage is about 2” to 4” in length, whitish to grey-green in colour, blunt or very sharp pointed, smooth on the upper side of the leaf and tomentose (woolly or pubescent) on the underside. 

Fruit is produced in the fall (normally in September) and storage is possible for several months.

Cultural management practices are similar to the peach.  The Common Quince grows on a wide range of soils and is hardy here in the Niagara Peninsula.  During my literature review, some sources indicated that it was hardy to a temperate range of –10 to –20° Fahrenheit.

My most recent experience with the Common Quince occurred when the Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory was being constructed. “Miss Cydonia” as I call her stood proudly in the middle of a sea of construction trailers.  I gave instructions that the tree was to be saved.  Some snow fencing was erected around the dripline of the tree.  Today, this tree is as beautiful as ever.  Its bread-like braided trunk and its unique ornamental form are there for the public to enjoy. 

In a future article of Hort-Pro, I will be covering the “care of trees during construction”.

References:

Bacley, L.H.  Manual of Cultivated Plants.  The MacMillan Company, New York, NY.  1960.

Johnson, Hugh.  The International Book of Trees.  Mitchell Beazley Publishers Limited, London.  1973.

Wyman, Donald.  Wyman’s Gardening Encyclopedia.  The MacMillan Company, New York, NY.  1971.

John A. Morley

Editor

Hort-Pro Magazine

Return to the Hort-Pro Title Page