Pyracantha crenulata

Himalayan or nepal firethorn, Himalayan Firethorn

Family: Rosaceae · Type: shrub · Not Native

Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes

Himalayan firethorn is a naturalized shrub found in San Francisco Bay and San Bernardino Mountains on canyon slopes and disturbed ground at elevations below 500 meters. Flowering from February to June, this plant produces white flowers in clusters with multiple blossoms. Growing as an erect shrub up to 6 meters tall with rusty-hairy stems that become smoother with age, it develops distinctive narrow oblong-elliptic leaves 20 to 50 millimeters long with numerous small teeth. Its leaves are slightly hairy underneath when young, becoming glabrous as they mature, with generally acute tips. The fruit is a bright red berry approximately 5 to 8 millimeters wide, providing attractive ornamental value.

Habitat: Canyon slopes, disturbed ground

Bloom period: Feb-Jun

Elevation: < 500 m

Bioregions: SnFrB, SnBr

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