Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Pyracantha angustifolia
Common name
Orange firethorn, Firethorn
Family
Rosaceae
Where found
Forest, woodland, grassy areas, roadsides, disturbed sites, and along streams. Widespread.
Notes
Introduced shrub or small tree to 5 m high. Branches with stout spines. Fruit fleshy. Young stems hairy, grey or whitish. Older stems turn reddish-brown or darker grey. Leaves alternating up the stems, 2–7 cm long, 5-13 mm wide, upper surface dark green and almost hairless, lower surface whitish hairy, margins entire and rolled down, tips blunt and mucronate. Flowers white, 8-12 mm diameter, with 5 petals, in dense clusters of up to 30 flowers. Ripe fruit 5–9 mm in diameter, yellow to orange-red or crimson, covered in small downy hairs, particularly when immature. Flowers spring–summer.
Family was Malaceae.
General Biosecurity Duty all NSW (as Pyracantha species).
Pest plant ACT.
PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Pyracantha~angustifolia (accessed 3 February, 2021)
This identification key and fact sheets are available as a free mobile application:
