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Anyone know what plant this is?

I am in Northern Portugal. A couple of years ago, a neighbor gave me a plant. I planted it in the yard and it has bloomed red flowers which are very beautiful. This year, for the first time, the plant is loaded with fruit that resembles apples. The fruit is literally stuck to the stem of this vine. I don´t know what this fruit is and would like to know if it is edible. If you have any idea what it is, I would certainly appreciate the help in identifying this plant. Thanks in advance.

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3 Answers

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  • 7 years ago
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    Based on red flowers and fruit that is "stuck" to the tree, and the fact that the fruit appears to be in clusters or at least pairs, I also think it's a quince. There are flowering quinces and fruiting quinces. It's a little hard to tell from your photo, but I think yours might be a fruiting quince. Flowering quince often produces some fruit but it's generally smaller than your fruit seems to be, and sparser.

    Quinces cannot be eaten fresh. They are extremely bitter until cooked. They are usually a bright yellow when ripe, shaped a bit like a lumpy pear, with some very thick waxy fuzz, and they are as hard as rocks. When ripe, and that will not be until well into the fall, they have a fragrance a little like pears but spicier. Hard to describe; I know of nothing else that smells like them and they will scent the house if left indoors. They make excellent jelly, and they have a lot of pectin of their own so don't need any added. There are a few other ways you can use them, too.

  • 7 years ago

    I believe it is a flowering Quince, sometimes called a "burning bush", or "fire bush", because it has firey scarlet blooms in early spring. When in bloom, they are quite beautiful, and one of the earliest bloomers in spring.

    P.S. Yes, the fruit is edible. Some people make jam from it, similar to apple butter.

  • 7 years ago

    perhaps it is crab apple? If the skin in sorta fuzzy it could be some sort of peach. It definitely has a fruit leaf. I would not be afraid to taste it. If it is too tart when you taste it the first time allow it to ripen several more days or so then try it again.

    The leaf looks very similar to a peach tree leaf.

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