| General Description | A tree with young shoots that are glabrous and grows to a height of 7.5m or more, with thorns that are about 0.0254 m long. It is used in North America to make jellies. |
| ID Characteristic | Clusters of creamy-white flowers, lobed or toothed leaves, and prickly branches |
| Shape | Upright, branches tilting towards ground. |
| Landscape | Screen plantings and specimen plants, sometimes with odd or weeping forms. |
| Propagation | Some seeds will grow in the spring, but the bulk will not until the following year. Seed is best sown in a cold frame in the fall when it is completely developed. The seed must be warmly stratified for three months at 15°C before being cold stratified for another three months at 4°C due to its tendency to germinate exceedingly slowly and irregularly. It might take another 18 months for the seed to grow. This time can be reduced by scarifying the seed beforehand. Fermenting the seed in its pulp for a few days might help speed germination. The seed can also be fermented for a few days in its pulp to hasten germination. Another possibility is to harvest the seed 'green' (as soon as the embryo has fully developed but before the seedcoat hardens) and sow it immediately in a cold frame. |
| Cultivation | It is a simple plant that requires little care. It prefers damp, loamy soil. Once planted, it can survive both high soil moisture and drought. It grows well in both chalky and heavy clay soils. Full light is ideal for growing plants for fruit. Plants may flourish in semi-shade even though fruit yields and quality are diminished. Most species in this genus can resist air pollution and flourish in open areas. mated freely with other members of the genus Although grafted plants sometimes begin flowering extensively in their third year, seedling trees normally require 5 to 8 years to yield fruit. |
| Notable Specimens | University of Florida Campus; Harmonic Woods, just N of gardens and Lake Alice, Sumter National Forest; Andrew Pickens District. |
| Habitat | Low slopes and wide-open woods with arid, sand- or gravel-filled soils. open forests, mixed forests, and sand pinelands. |
| Bark/Stem Description | Branch straight or slightly bent young, glabrous, and flexible growth. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description | Corymbs with three to seven white, 0.01905-diameter blooms, glandular, glabrous (or initially slightly downy) the flower stalks, a calyx with ten to twenty stamens, and purple anthers begin to appear in early June. |
| Leaf Description | The leaves can be obovate to diamond-shaped, always tapering and glandular at the base, pointed, occasionally three-lobed, and doubly toothed; glabrous on both sides; and a 0.3556 to 0.0254 m long, glandular stem. |
| Flower Description | Spring brings white flowers that are a little showy. 0.01905diameter, flower-stalks glandular, calyx glabrous. |
| Fruit Description | Fruit that is about 0.015875m long, oblong, and greenish yellow. |