Firethorn (Pyracantha) - shrub - January 2018

A Firethorn variety with scarlet red berries in the St Thomas area of Exeter, UK.

Pyracantha, or firethorn as it is also known, is a pretty shrub with attractive flowers and magnificent red, yellow or orange berries in autumn and winter. It is often trained against a wall or fence. It also makes an excellent evergreen hedge.

Pyracantha berries are not poisonous as many people think although they are very bitter to taste, they are edible when cooked and are sometimes made into jelly.

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Subfamily: Amygdaloideae[1]
Tribe: Maleae
Subtribe: Malinae
Genus: Pyracantha

Useful sources: