(Bromeliad, Haystack Puya, Puya)

Perhaps a spidery aloe, or an anorexic agave on first look. It's neither: the hairy, white leaves of the haystack puya is a succulent bromeliad -- a cousin to the pineapple -- that tries to camouflage the hard, cutting teeth on its leaf edges. This desert-dwelling plant is native to the highlands of Bolivia and nearby northern Argentina and western Paraguay. The white fuzz on the vicious leaves may remind you of a soft bathrobe from a spa and the clumping form of the plant resembles coarse thatch...

(Bromeliad, Chagualillo, Puya)

Resembling a large gray sea urchin, the chagualillo's gray-green, toothed leaves are sharp and rigid. Native to the central Pacific coast of Chile, it inhabits dry and sunny nooks on the edges of woodlands and on coastal rockeries.

The leaf rosettes look like those of the pineapple plant, but much smaller. Each succulent leaf is a tapering lance lined with tiny but vicious teeth. Leaves may be gray-green to almost gray or fully silver. In the warmth of spring into summer, an upright red flower...

(Apache Firethorn, Firethorn)

This drought-tolerant hybrid, 'Apache,' is a thorny, evergreen shrub with a mounding, compact habit. When fully grown it is roughly one-third the size of standard firethorns. This fine selection was hybridized by 1970s by Donald Egolf of the U.S. National Arboretum. 'Apache' was selected and released for sale in the late 1980s. In addition to beauty, it possesses excellent resistance to fireblight and fungal scab diseases.

The semi-evergreen foliage of this firethorn is fine, glossy and dark-green....

(Fiery Cascade Firethorn, Firethorn)

Super heavy crops of small, bright orange fruits cover ‘Fiery Cascade’ in fall and turn darker shades of red in winter. This vigorous and highly ornamental evergreen shrub has an upright habit and is exceptionally drought tolerant and disease resistant. It is a hybrid of scarlet firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea) and Formosa firethorn (P. koidzumii).

The thorny branches of ‘Fiery Cascade’ become covered with small, glossy, dark green leaves that turn shades of bronze and green...

(Firethorn, Gold Rush Firethorn)

Large golden yellow fruits, rivaling the size crabapples, occur in clusters across the spreading branches of the 'Gold Rush' firethorn. First selected as an ornamental shrub in 1959 by Brian Mulligan of the University of Washington, it was later named 'Gold Rush' and introduced into the nursery trade in 1975 by Joseph Witt.

A drought-tolerant hybrid, this thorny shrub has a spreading dense habit when young. As it matures it remains rounded but develops appealing jagged-edges. The semi-evergreen...

(Firethorn, Golden Charmer Firethorn)

Decorative clusters of light yellow to golden fruits contrast with the dark green foliage of 'Golden Charmer.' A drought-tolerant hybrid, this thorny shrub has a dense upright habit with horizontally tiered branches.

The fully evergreen leaves of this firethorn are dark green and may turn bronze-green in very cold winters. In spring, it bears many showy clusters of small, white, musty-smelling flowers that develop into satiny yellow fruits resembling miniature apples. The flowers are attractive...

(Firethorn, Mohave Firethorn)

The heavy crops of brilliant orange red fruits produced by Mohave firethorn are truly impressive and long-lasting. This drought tolerant hybrid of scarlet firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea) and Formosa firethorn (P. koidzumii) is a thorny, evergreen shrub with a dense, upright habit. Its fine, glossy dark green leaves turn brown-green in fall and winter. In spring, plants bear many showy clusters of white, musty smelling flowers that develop into vibrant orange-red fruits that resemble...

(Firethorn, Red Elf Firethorn)

Brilliant fruit in fall and winter, handsome evergreen foliage, a compact habit, and good disease resistance make the firethorn hybrid Red Elf™ an excellent choice for smaller garden niches. The dwarf rounded spiny plants are adorned in late spring with clusters of muskily scented white flowers, which contrast strikingly with the small glossy dark green leaves. Green berries that resemble small apples follow the flowers, ripening red in fall and persisting into winter, much to the delight of hungry...

(Firethorn, Navaho Firethorn)

The drought tolerant and exceptionally disease-resistant 'Navaho' is a medium-sized semi-evergreen shrub that offers beautiful orange-red berries in fall and winter. It is likened to the popular ‘Mohave’ but has a slightly shorter stature.

The thorny branches of ‘Navaho’ become covered with small, glossy, dark green leaves that turn shades of bronze and green in fall and winter. In spring, they bear many showy clusters of white, musty smelling flowers that are attractive to bees. The green fruits...

(Firethorn, Orange Glow Firethorn)

The heavy crops of bright orange fruits produced by ‘Orange Glow’ are impressive and long-lasting. This vigorous and highly ornamental evergreen shrub has a dense rounded habit and is exceptionally drought tolerant and disease resistant. It is a hybrid of the scarlet firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea) and Formosa firethorn (P. koidzumii).

The thorny branches of ‘Orange Glow’ become covered with small, glossy, dark green leaves that turn shades of bronze and green in fall and winter....