Pyracantha coccinea Seeds | Scarlet Firethorn
LATIN NAME: Pyracantha coccinea
COMMON NAME: Scarlet Firethorn
Plant Profile
Scarlet firethorn is a dense evergreen shrub of southeastern Europe and the Caucasus, growing two to three metres with arching, thorny branches and small, glossy, dark green leaves. In late spring it covers itself in flat clusters of small white flowers, which bees work heavily, and in autumn the branches bend under masses of round berries that ripen from green through orange to a deep scarlet and hold until the birds strip them in winter. The thorns are long, sharp and plentiful, which is exactly why it was planted as a stock-proof hedge around orchards and farmyards for centuries. It clips well, tolerates poor soil and city air, and grows in sun or half shade. Old specimens can be twice the usual size and are worth keeping.
Science & Biotechnology
Pyracantha coccinea belongs to the apple tribe of the rose family, and it is one of the parents of the garden hybrids, along with the Chinese P. crenulata, that dominate the nursery trade. Its susceptibility to fire blight, caused by Erwinia amylovora, has made it a subject of breeding work, since the disease can kill a hedge in a season and is hard to control. The berries contain small amounts of cyanogenic glycosides and are mildly toxic raw, though birds eat them without ill effect and they are sometimes cooked into a bitter jelly. The species is self-incompatible to a degree, so a single clone sets little fruit, and hedges planted from one source often flower heavily and berry poorly. The thorns are modified branches, and cutting into old wood can produce strong regrowth from the base.
Uses & Benefits
The shrub is used as an impenetrable hedge, as a trained wall plant and as a specimen for winter colour, and its berries are one of the best sources of food for thrushes and waxwings in a hard winter. The cut branches are used in floristry in autumn, when the berries hold well. In folk medicine the berries were made into a conserve for sore throats, and the leaves were used as a gargle, though neither use is recommended now. It is also a useful plant for a slope or a boundary where security matters, since nothing larger than a blackbird will push through it. It tolerates hard clipping, but trimming removes the flower buds, so hedges cut in summer lose their berries.
Growing from Seed
Sow the seed in autumn, either fresh from the berry after cleaning off the pulp, or after three months of cold stratification. Sow one centimetre deep in a loam and grit mix and leave the pots outdoors through winter, protected from mice. Germination is slow and often spread over two springs. The seedlings are variable, as expected in a species grown from seed, and only some will berry heavily. Grow on in full sun, pinching the shoots to build a bushy frame. Plant out in autumn or spring into any well-drained soil, and prune after flowering rather than in summer if berries matter. Water through the first two summers.
Our Take
A hedge you cannot push through, with scarlet berries that feed the thrushes. Cut it back after flowering if shape matters, and otherwise leave it alone.
Related Reading
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