Japanese photinia is an evergreen shrub grown for its glossy leaves and bronzy-red new growth. It is native to Japan, southern China, and northern Indochina, and in the US it is mainly a landscape plant in the South. It is one parent of the hybrid Photinia × fraseri, which includes the popular cultivar 'Red Robin'.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A large shrub or small tree, usually 10–12 ft (3–3.5 m) tall and 6–10 ft (2–3 m) wide in gardens; unpruned plants can reach about 20 ft (6 m), and Japanese sources give up to about 33 ft (10 m) for wild trees.
- Leaves
- Leathery, glossy, 2–3½ in. (5–9 cm) long, with fine teeth. New leaves are bronzy red and turn dark green.
- Flowers
- Flat clusters 2–5 in. (5–12 cm) wide of small white flowers, sometimes tinged pink. They open around June, later than other photinias. The scent reminds some people of hawthorn; others find it unpleasant.
- Fruit
- Small round fruits about ⅛–¼ in. (3–6 mm) wide turn red in fall and later black.
Look-alikes
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Gardens
- Hedges
- Landscape plantings
- Range
- Native to southern and central Japan, southern China, and northern Indochina. In the US it is planted as an ornamental, and it has been introduced in Louisiana.
- Preferred conditions
- Hardy in USDA zones 7a–10b; it is the least cold-tolerant of the photinias. It likes moist, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade, tolerates alkaline soil, and handles drought once established.
Growing it
- Care
- Used for hedges, screens, and as a small flowering tree. Leaf spot is the main problem in hot, humid summers in zones 8 and 9, so water at the soil line and give it good air flow. 'Rubens' is a cultivar with bright bronzy-red young leaves.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
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