Flora of New Zealand Series

firethorn

Evergreen shrub to c. 2 m high; stems generally dense and ± spreading, often spine-tipped; very young stems brownish tomentose; older stems brown and shiny. Lf petiole 2-15 mm long, channelled above, glabrate; blade 2-5.7 × 1-2.2 cm, oblanceolate to obovate, subtruncate to rounded at apex, sometimes ± mucronulate, cuneate at base, deep shining green and glabrous above, pale green and glabrous below; margins almost entire or shallowly crenate-serrate in distal ⅔. Corymbs c. 20-40 mm across; pedicels c. 5-15 mm long, shiny and with scattered hairs. Sepals rounded or very broadly ovate, c. 1 mm long, glabrous, or sometimes with a few hairs, shining, mucronulate. Petals ± suborbicular, 2.5-3.5 mm diam., rounded, white or almost so. Stamens slightly < petals. Fr. depressed-globose, 5-6 mm wide across top, red or orange-red, glossy.

N.: Okere Falls and Whakarewarewa Forest (Rotorua area).

China 1988

Scrub, margin of large plantations.

FL Nov-Dec FT May-Aug.

P. crenatoserrata is a cultivation escape with the 2 small populations apparently spreading from seed deposited by birds. The taxonomy of this sp. and its closest allies, already confused, has been further complicated by the selection of clones of hybrids. The majority of these cvs were raised in the United States and have been introduced to N.Z. in recent times. They have now largely replaced the earlier-introduced spp. which mostly have the fewer frs produced in small clusters. P. crenatoserrata is closely related to the Chinese P. atalantioides (Hance) Stapf and P. rogersiana (A. B. Jackson) Chitt. but can be distinguished by its combination of rather densely hairy peduncles and oblanceolate to obovate lvs which are subtruncate to rounded at the apex. One specimen (CHR 243421, Waikumete, Auckland, Sykes, 13.12.1987) resembles P. crenatoserrata but lacks the infl. hairs. In addition, the lvs of P. crenatoserrata are larger than those of P. rogersiana. The illustration of P. crenatoserrata in Bot. Mag. t. 9099 (1925 as P. yunnanensis) shows lvs with more prominent teeth than in most of those on N.Z. plants but this character can vary even on one plant. Thus, lvs on vegetative shoots are more obviously toothed than the majority of lvs towards the apex of reproductive branches, particularly when vegetative shoots are more shaded. P. crenatoserrata is sometimes known as P. fortuneana (Maxim.) L. overseas but the type of P. fortuneana does not belong to the genus Pyracantha (Sealy, J. R., Bot Mag. n.s. t. 74 (1949)).