Pyracantha atalantioides

Sichuan firethorn

Family: Rosaceae · Type: shrub · Not Native

Sichuan firethorn is a naturalized shrub found in southern California coastal areas and disturbed environments like abandoned fields and roadsides at elevations below 200 meters. Flowering from February to June, this plant produces white flowers in clusters with yellow-brown hairy inflorescences. Growing as an erect shrub up to 6 meters tall with yellow-brown stems that become glabrous with age, it develops a distinctive branching structure. Its leaves are elliptic or oblong, 15 to 40 millimeters long, with a glaucous undersurface and softly pointed tips featuring occasional inconspicuous teeth. The fruit appears as bright red berries approximately 4 to 5 millimeters wide, creating dramatic visual contrast against the shrub's foliage.

Habitat: Disturbed areas, abandoned fields, roadsides

Bloom period: Feb-Jun

Elevation: < 200 m

Bioregions: SCo, expected elsewhere

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.