Quince, << kwihns, >> is a type of attractive shrub or small tree that is closely related to apple and pear trees. The common quince has many large, pinkish-white flowers and twisted branches. Its fragrant, fuzzy fruit is round to pear-shaped and is golden-yellow. The fruit grows up to 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) in diameter and bears many seeds in its core. Botanists call this type of fruit a pome. The fruit of the common quince is hard and has an acid taste and is almost never eaten fresh. It is used in marmalades and jellies, often in combination with other fruits.
The common quince can be grown from cuttings or by grafting (joining) a quince seedling to another plant. Buds from pear trees sometimes are grafted to quince rootstocks to produce dwarf pear trees (see Pear (Raising pears)). The common quince has been cultivated since ancient times and was originally grown in central Asia. It is rarely grown commercially in the United States.
Another type of quince, the Japanese flowering quince, is a thorny shrub with showy red blossoms. It bears a very sour fruit that grows up to 11/2 inches (3.8 centimeters) in diameter.
