バラ科ボケ属の落葉小高木で、学名は Chaenomeles sinensis。英名は Chinese quince。
The Chinese quince (Chaenomeles sinensis) belonts to Rosaceae (the Rose family). It is a semi-tall deciduous tree that is native to China. This tree was introduced into Japan as a medicated plant and cultivated in so many places nowadays. It can reach about 8 m in height and its barks are greenish-brown, furrowed into large scaly ridges. The leaves are obovate to elliptic and alternate with toothed edges. The pale rose-pink flowers come on the terminal branches from April to May. The fruits are oval or obovate and ripen in yellow. They are aromatic and used for fruit wine or confiture. It is called "木瓜" (mu gua) in Chinese.