General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Shrub
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences: Mesic
Soil pH Preferences: Slightly acid (6.1 – 6.5)
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 6a -23.3 °C (-10 °F) to -20.6 °C (-5 °F)
Maximum recommended zone: Zone 9b
Plant Height: 13 feet (in 7 years)
Plant Spread: 13 feet (in 7 years)
Fruit: Showy
Edible to birds
Other: Abundant orange-red with a waxy texture. Fruiting is better in full sun.
Fruiting Time: Late summer or early fall
Fall
Late fall or early winter
Winter
Other: Mid-August to mid-winter. Fruite persists very late into winter.
Flowers: Showy
Fragrant
Other: Flowering is better in full sun.
Flower Color: White
Other: Appear in second year growth
Flower Time: Spring
Late spring or early summer
Suitable Locations: Espalier
Topiary
Uses: Windbreak or Hedge
Provides winter interest
Wildlife Attractant: Bees
Birds
Butterflies
Resistances: Pollution
Drought tolerant
Salt tolerant
Miscellaneous: With thorns/spines/prickles/teeth
Awards and Recognitions: Other: 1971 Certificate of Preliminary Commendation of The Royal Horticultural Society; 2011 Great Plant Picks award winner
Parentage: Pyracantha koidzumii x Wyattii

Image
Common names
  • Firethorn

Photo Gallery
Location: Meridian, Idaho, United States
Date: 2021-08-20
Developing fruit.
Location: My garden
Date: 2016-09-22
Location: In Merrifield Gardens, Falls Church, VA
Date: 2017-11-18
Comments:
  • Posted by Sequoiadendron4 (Lititz, PA - Zone 6b) on Oct 14, 2017 6:38 AM concerning plant:
    If someone told me five years ago how bad of an idea it'd be to plant a pyracantha hedge, I wouldn't have planted it. The plants are beautiful and berry heavy. They are strong growers too. The only downside is scab. Scab is a fungal affliction that produces black sooty spots on the leaves and berries. On the leaves it's not really detrimental. Affected leaves fall off but are replaced at a faster pace so it's not noticeable. The berries get totally trashed by scab, which stinks because that's the main reason to grow the shrub. Birds don't eat the scabbed berries. To prevent this, one must spray the entire plant every 7-10 days with fungicide from the time of leaf emergence until the flowers are spent. That's a tall order for 60' of shrubs that are 8-10' tall. So in conclusion, this is a nice plant for a specimen or two but probably not the best hedge.
  • Posted by Marilyn (Kentucky - Zone 6a) on Jun 21, 2015 10:52 PM concerning plant:
    Introduced by the United States National Arboretum in 1970.

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