Firethorn - Pyracantha coccinea

Description

This evergreen thorny shrub has small white flowers and bright orange or red berries.

Identification difficulty
Habitat

Sometimes escapes from cultivation to establish in hedgerows or woods.

When to see it

Flowers in June.

Life History

Thorny evergreen shrub.

UK Status

Occasional but widespread in the southern half of Britain as an escape from cultivation.

VC55 Status

Rarely recorded in Leicestershire and Rutland. It was not recorded in the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire.

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015

UK Map

Species profile

Common names
Firethorn
Species group:
Trees, Shrubs & Climbers
Kingdom:
Plantae
Order:
Rosales
Family:
Rosaceae
Records on NatureSpot:
5
First record:
24/09/2016 (Mabbett, Craig)
Last record:
26/10/2021 (Bell, Melinda)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.

In the Latest Records section, click on the header to sort A-Z, and again to sort Z-A. Use the header boxes to filter the list.

Latest images

Latest records