Pyracantha koidzumii

Taiwan firethorn

Family: Rosaceae · Type: shrub · Not Native

Taiwan firethorn is a naturalized shrub found in California's coastal and southern regions including Santa Clara Valley, Central Coast, San Francisco Bay Area, Southern California, southern Channel Islands, San Bernardino Mountains, and desert areas at elevations below 1,500 meters in disturbed forests, beach bluffs, and riparian areas. Flowering from February to June, this shrub produces white flowers in clusters with multiple blooms. Growing to 4 meters tall with an erect form and rusty-hairy branches that become glabrous with age, it develops a distinctive growth habit. Its narrow elliptic to obovate leaves are 25 to 45 millimeters long, with rusty undersides that become glaucous and glabrous, featuring truncate or slightly notched tips with occasional inconspicuous teeth. The shrub produces distinctive orange-red fruits 4 to 7 millimeters wide, adding ornamental interest to its landscape presence.

Habitat: Disturbed forest, beach bluffs, riparian areas

Bloom period: Feb-Jun

Elevation: < 1500 m

Bioregions: ScV, CCo, SnFrB, SCo, SnGb, SnBr, DSon, 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.