Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Pyracantha fortuneana
Common name
Firethorn, Broad-leaf firethorn
Family
Rosaceae
Where found
Forest, woodland, grassy areas, disturbed sites, roadsides, and along streams. Mainly Sydney area and Canberra. Occasional elsewhere.
Notes
Introduced shrub to 4 m high, often sprawling. Short side branches ending in spines. Fruit fleshy. Young stems hairy, becoming hairless and glossy. Leaves alternating up the stems, often appearing clustered on the short side branches, 2.5–5 cm long, 10–20 mm wide, both surfaces hairless, upper surface glossy, lower surface paler, margins almost entire or with minute scallops, tips rounded. Flowers white, with 5 petals each 8–9 mm long, in dense clusters. Ripe fruit 6-8 mm in diameter, scarlet to crimson when ripe. Flowers spring–summer.
Was Pyracantha crenatoserrata.
Family was Malaceae.
General Biosecurity Duty all NSW (as Pyracantha species).
Pest plant ACT.
PlantNET description: https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Pyracantha~fortuneana (accessed 3 February, 2021)
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