Formosa Pyracantha is a medium evergreen shrub that grows up to 18' and is upright, stiff, and thorny. This plant blooms in late spring to early summer and has showy but extremely foetid flowers. The orange-red berries mature in fall and persist through winter. This plant has sharp thorns and requires pruning to look manicured. When pruning, keep in mind that next season's blossoms and fruit will appear on old growth. This plant is good for espaliers and barriers as well as a specimen plant. This plant is often confused with P. coccinea, but is easily distinguished by leaves that are broadest at the apex and truncate, whereas P. coccinea leaves are broadest at the middle and taper apically. This plant is hard to transplant. It is tolerant of partial shade, and hot and dry conditions. It prefers pH between 5.5 and 7.5. It has pest problems with lacebugs, scale, mites, fireblight, and fruit scab disease. This is a rapid grower but it is not a bird favorite. 'Lowdense' ('Low Dense') is a dwarf cultivar that berries heavily. Wildlife Value: Particularly resistant to damage by deer. Site: tolerates hot, dry sites Form: Large, multi-stemmed shrub; stiff upright branches; can become unkept with age; dense, irregular spreading Quick ID Hints: Some lateral branches terminate in sharp thorns Leaves truncate, often emarginate, broadest at apex Heavy clusters orange-red fruits in winter
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
Mature size
Height: 8 ft. 0 in. - 18 ft. 0 in. | Width: 8 ft. 0 in. - 12 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Multi-stemmed; Spreading
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen; Semi-evergreen
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf margin
Entire; Serrate
Leaf feel
Glossy
Leaf size
1-3 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Leaves are alternate, simple, evergreen to semi-evergreen, oblanceolate, entire or slightly serrate toward the apex. The apex is truncate to retuse and often emarginate. Leaves are 1-3" long and have sharp spines.
Flower color
White
Flower form
Corymb
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Flowers are white, foetid, and less than an inch in size. Inflorescence is a coryombose raceme on a leafy shoot that grows up to 4" across.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Orange; Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Berry
Fruit size
< 1 inch long
Fruit detail
Fruits are globose berries that are orange-red in color and less than an inch in diameter.
Stem color
Purple/Lavender; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Stems are reddish when young and become purplish.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
Taiwan
Wildlife value
Flowers are visited by many kinds of pollinators. Fruits are consumed by birds. Particularly resistant to damage by deer.