Everything about Rhaphiolepis totally explained
Rhaphiolepis (
syn. Raphiolepis Lindl.) is a genus of about 15 species of
evergreen shrubs and small
trees in the family
Rosaceae, native to warm temperate and subtropical eastern and southeastern
Asia, from southern
Japan, southern
Korea and southern
China south to
Thailand and
Vietnam. The genus is closely related to
Eriobotrya (
loquats). The common name
hawthorn (shared with the related genus
Crataegus) is used for the species.
The species vary in size, some only reaching 1-1.5 m, while
R. ferruginea can reach 10 m. The
leaves are alternate, leathery, glossy dark green, simple, 3-9 cm long, with an entire or serrated margin. The
flowers are white or pink, 1-2 cm diameter, produced in small to large
corymbs. The
fruit is a small
pome 1-2 cm diameter, ripening dark purple to black, usually containing only a single
seed.
Cultivation and uses
The best known species is
R. indica (
Indian Hawthorn) from southern China, grown for its decorative pink
flowers, and popular in
bonsai culture.
R. umbellata (
Yeddo Hawthorn) from Japan and Korea has blunter leaves and white flowers. It is the hardiest species, tolerating temperatures down to about -15 °C.
The fruit is edible when cooked, and can be used to make
jam.
Indian Hawthorn is a mainstay horticultural specimen in southern United States. It is often found in commercial as well as in private landscapes. Often it's trimmed into small compact hedges or balls for foundation plants. It has been successfully pruned into a standard form as well as small dwarf-like trees up to 15 feet in height.
The use of
Rhaphiolepis in landscapes in humid regions is often limited by the high susceptibility of many of the genus' species and hybrids to a disfiguring
leaf spot disease caused by fungi in the genus
Entomosporium.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Rhaphiolepis'.
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