General: Rose Family (Rosaceae). This evergreen shrub reaches up to 10 meters in height. It has a grayish trunk and puberulent branches. The elliptic to oblong leaves are simple and short petioled. They have spines along the margins and are thick and leathery. The small, white flowers are arranged in large terminal clusters and each flower has 5 petals, 5 sepals, and 10 stamens. The fruits are bright red or yellow drupe-like pomes with dry pulp and contain 3 to 6 seeds. They persist through winter.