firethorn

firethorn
/fuyeur"thawrn'/, n.
any of several evergreen, thorny Asian shrubs belonging to the genus Pyracantha, of the rose family, many species of which are cultivated for their foliage and ornamental fruits.
[1905-10, Amer.]

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plant
 (Pyracantha), any of a genus of usually thorny evergreen shrubs, in the rose family (Rosaceae), native to southeastern Europe and Asia. Firethorns are planted as ornamentals for their showy, berrylike fruits; they are also used as hedges and are often espaliered (trained to grow flat against walls and fences). They have small oval leaves on short leafstalks and clusters of small white flowers followed by orange to reddish fruits that cling to the stems well into winter.

      The European Pyracantha coccinea, up to 4.5 m (15 feet) tall, has provided many varieties of horticultural interest. Of similar height are P. atalantioides and P. fortuneana, from China, both of which bear clusters of scarlet fruits. P. koidzumii, from Taiwan, is densely branched, with red-purple young twigs and orange-scarlet fruit. The Himalyan P. crenulata, up to 6 m (19 feet) high, can be trained as a small tree.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • firethorn — ☆ firethorn [fīr′thôrn΄ ] n. any of a genus (Pyracantha) of thorny Eurasian plants of the rose family, grown widely in the U.S. for the masses of brilliant red or orange fruits …   English World dictionary

  • firethorn — raudonvaisė dyglainė statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Erškėtinių šeimos dekoratyvinis augalas (Pyracantha coccinea), paplitęs vakarų Azijoje ir pietryčių Europoje. atitikmenys: lot. Pyracantha coccinea angl. buisson ardent; firethorn;… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • firethorn — dyglainė statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Erškėtinių (Rosaceae) šeimos augalų gentis (Pyracantha). atitikmenys: lot. Pyracantha angl. firethorn; pyracantha vok. Feuerbusch; Feuerdorn rus. пираканта lenk. ognik …   Dekoratyvinių augalų vardynas

  • Firethorn (novel) — Infobox Book | name = Firethorn image caption = First edition cover author = Sarah Micklem illustrator = cover artist = country = United States language = English series = Firethorn Trilogy genre = Fantasy novel publisher = Scribner release date …   Wikipedia

  • firethorn — noun Date: circa 1900 pyracantha; especially a European semievergreen shrub (P. coccinea) with orange red berries …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • firethorn — noun a plant of the genus Pyracantha; the pyracanthus …   Wiktionary

  • firethorn — noun another term for pyracantha …   English new terms dictionary

  • firethorn — fire•thorn [[t]ˈfaɪərˌθɔrn[/t]] n. pln any thorny shrub of the genus Pyracantha, rose family, with evergreen foliage and orange berries • Etymology: 1905–10 …   From formal English to slang

  • firethorn — /ˈfaɪəθɔn/ (say fuyuhthawn) noun 1. an evergreen bushy shrub or tree, Pyracantha coccinea, of southern Europe and western Asia. 2. any other species of Pyracantha many of which are cultivated for their attractive berries …  

  • firethorn — noun any of various thorny shrubs of the genus Pyracantha bearing small white flowers followed by hard red or orange red berries • Syn: ↑Pyracantha, ↑pyracanth, ↑fire thorn • Hypernyms: ↑shrub, ↑bush • Member Holonyms: ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

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