388 BOTANY OF CROP PLANTS 



CYDONIA (Quince) 



The genus has much the same characters as Malus and 

 Pyrus, except that each of the five carpels has several seeds, 

 covered with a mucilaginous pulp, and the large flowers are 

 in small clusters or sometimes single at the tips of branches. 



There are several species of Cydonia, the most common 

 being C. ohlonga (edible quince). 



CYDONIA OBLONGA (Common Quince) 



Stem. — The common quince is a small tree seldom over 15 

 feet high, or a shrub, with rather crooked, slender branches. 

 The shoots that come from axillary buds and those that come 

 from terminal buds may give rise to flower-bearing shoots, 

 but it is usually the case that the largest fruit comes on 

 branches arising from axillary buds on the last half of the 

 annual growth. The flowers are not from fruit buds formed 

 in the autumn ; after a woody shoot has grown several inches, 

 a flower is produced which terminates the ■ season's growth 

 of that shoot. 



Leaves. — The leaves are alternate, with blades 2 to 3 

 inches long, oval, somewhat heart-shaped or rounded at the 

 base, acute at the apex, green above and soft-hairy beneath, 

 and with petioles about >^ inch long. 



Flowers.' — As a rule, the flowers are solitary; the petals 

 are white or light pink; the stamens are numerous; there are 

 five carpels with several ovules in each cavity. 



Fruit.- — The fruit may be apple- or pear-shaped, hard, 

 woolly when young, becoming smooth with age; the flesh is 

 free of grit cells; the skin is yellow at maturity; each of the 

 five cells of the ovary contains several seeds which have a 

 mucilaginous coating. 



Varieties. — Bailey gives five varieties of the species. 



