The piracanth (Pyracantha coccinea) is a shrubby plant that belongs to the Rosaceae family. It is commonly known as fire thorn, burning bush, and penguin. It is an endemic species of Asia and Europe, although it also lives in Mexico, and other countries in America such as the United States, Canada, Bolivia, and Peru..
The piracanth is a species resistant to cold and heat. It can grow from 30 m to 1800 meters above sea level. It can grow in poor soils, although it does best in well-drained and light soils.
The thorny bushes of this species are used as living fences. In addition, it has a useful function at an ecological level, as it is used as a bioindicator of the accumulation of heavy metals such as lead, zinc, and cadmium. Regarding its medicinal use, pyracanth is also used as a diuretic and to treat heart conditions.
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The piracanth is a thorny shrub-type perennial plant that is about 3 m tall, has young gray twigs, and adult thorny branches. Due to these thorns, it is used as a living fence.
The leaves are simple, leathery, lanceolate, elliptical, or obovate-elliptical, 2 to 4 cm long by 1 to 2 cm wide. The margin of the leaves is crenado-serrated (serrated). They are pubescent on the underside (underside) and pale green in color, and on the upper surface, the color is dark green and they are normally devoid of pubescence. Petioles measure between 5 and 10 mm.
It has corymb-like inflorescence with many flowers up to 8 mm in diameter. Its flowers are white, and its sepals are persistent and triangular. It has about 20 stamens and the anthers are yellow. Pedicels measure 5 mm. Flowering occurs between April and June.
The fruit of the piracanth is globose and forms in clusters, and measures between 5 and 7 mm in diameter. The fruits are red, sometimes yellow-orange. Fruiting occurs from September, but remains on the plant until late winter. Therefore, it is used mainly as an ornamental species.
The pyracanth has several flavonoids such as pinocembrin, naringenin, sakuranetin, taxifolin, aromadendrine and pinostrobin. In this sense, a relationship between the genders has been found Pyracantha Y Prunus.
Pyracantha comes from the Greek root pyr which means fire, and Acantha, which means thorn. For this reason, its common name is firethorn (in addition to the bright red color of its fruits). Several cultivars and varieties are known. Most wild versions vary in fruit color, or foliar pubescence.
- Kingdom: Plantae.
- Phylum: Tracheophyta.
- Class: Magnoliopsida.
- Order: Rosales.
- Family: Rosaceae.
- Gender: Pyracantha.
- Species: Pyracantha coccinea M.J. Roemer.
The synonyms for this plant species are:
- Cotoneaster pyracantha (L.) Spach.
- Crataegus pyracantha Pers.
- Mespilus pyracantha Pall.
- Crataegus pauciflora Poir.) Pers.
- Gymnopyrenium pyracantha (L.) Dulac.
- Mespilus pauciflora Poir.
- Pyracantha pyracantha (L.) Aschers. & Graebn.
- Pyracantha spinosa of you.
- Pyracantha vulgaris Lothelier.
- Timbalia pyracantha (L.) Clos.
Some cultivars of this species are:
- Lalandlei (large fruits, bright orange).
- Morettii (large fruits and strong red color).
- Solei d'Or (yellow fruits).
- Harlequin (it is a hybrid with greyish green leaves, with a creamy white margin).
This plant can be found in soils with limestone rock, sand dunes, open forests, and bushes. It grows between 30 and 1800 meters above sea level. It is a species that resists cold and heat.
In general, P. coccinea it is especially distributed in Turkey and in southern Europe, Crimea, Caucasia, and northwestern Iran. Also, it has been found in countries such as South Africa, Mozambique, and Uzbekistan..
In America, its presence is reported in Mexico, the United States, Canada, Bolivia, and Peru.
In Turkey and other countries it is located as a wild species, it is also cultivated for ornamental berries.
In traditional medicine, the fruit of the pyracanth is used as a diuretic, for cardiac treatment, and as a tonic.
Plants of this species are grown as living fences. They are distributed throughout Europe, and it is an easy to identify and inexpensive crop.
From an ecological point of view, Pyracantha coccinea It is a species used as a bioindicator of the accumulation of heavy metals such as Cd, Pb and Zn. This plant is selected as a pollution biomonitor because it grows easily both in urban and rural areas and in different geographical ranges, and it is considered an ecological plant.
The cultivation of this species must be in full sun. It is a shrub resistant to cold and medium-high temperatures. It does not have a preference for any substrate, although it is better suited to those that have good drainage, that are fresh and light. Irrigation should be done with intermediate frequency.
The piracanth can be cultivated in parks and gardens, and develops as a solitary shrub or in groups. Pruning is rarely practiced. However, every winter it is necessary to clean and remove dead, dry and diseased branches. Branches that are crossed must be accommodated to avoid entanglement in the plant.
Also, it is necessary to eliminate the damaged fruits, and to correct the appearance of the glass. In addition, every 4 years an intense pruning must be carried out to reduce and maintain the size of the shrub..
The structure used for its reproduction are cuttings and seeds. On the other hand, the seeds must undergo a chemical treatment (sulfuric acid) to break the lethargy and eliminate the inhibitory substances that the fleshy part of the seed contains. Then a stratification must be carried out with moistened sand and at a temperature of 3-4 ° C for about 5 months.
Sowing time corresponds to the end of summer.
Among the diseases that appear in this plant species, the following are known: scorch or burn, produced by Erwinia amylovora, rust, and some spots on the foliage produced by Cercospora, Gloeosporium, Y Phyllosticta.
For its part, the pests for this shrub are aphids, mites, mealybugs, defoliating caterpillars, false caterpillars (hymenoptera larvae), mining moths, green mosquitoes, drills, and some beetles that can eat the flower petals.
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