Prinsepia

a genus of deciduous thorny shrubs of the family Rosaceae. The alternate leaves, which are lanceolate to elliptic, are sometimes clustered at the ends of branches. The white or yellow flowers are in short few-flowered axillary racemes or bundles. The fruit is a drupe.

There are three or four species of Prinsepia, growing in China, the Himalayas, and Taiwan. In the USSR, P. sinensis, which is sometimes assigned to the genus Plagiospermum, grows in southern Primor’e Krai in river thickets and mixed forests. A branching shrub reaching 2.5 m in height, it has elongate-lanceolate, sharp-pointed leaves and fragrant yellow flowers. The edible fruit, which is bright red and the size of a cherry, has tart flesh and a flat stone with large furrows. P. sinensis is raised as an ornamental and for its fruits. P. utilis and P. uniflora are cultivated in southern regions.