''Rhaphiolepis'' ( or ) is a genus of about fifteen species of

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

s and small

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

s in the family

Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus '' Rosa''. The family includes herbs, shrubs, and trees. Most species are deciduous, but som ...

, native to warm temperate and subtropical

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

, from southern

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, southern

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

and southern

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, south to

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

and

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. In searching literature it is well to remember that the name commonly is misspelt "Raphiolepsis". The genus is closely related to ''

Eriobotrya ''Eriobotrya'' is a genus of flowering plants, mostly large evergreen shrubs and small trees, in the family Rosaceae, native to woodland in the Himalayas and East Asia. The loquat, ''E. japonica'', is grown for its edible fruit. ''Eriobotrya'' ...

'' (

loquat The loquat (''Eriobotrya japonica'', Chinese: 枇杷; Pinyin: pípá) is a large evergreen shrub or tree grown commercially for its orange fruit. It is also cultivated as an ornamental plant. The loquat is in the family Rosaceae, subfamily Spi ...

s), so closely in fact, that members of the two genera have hybridised with each other; for example '' × Rhaphiobotrya'', the "Coppertone loquat", is a hybrid of '' Eriobotrya deflexa'' X ''Rhaphiolepis indica''. The common name hawthorn, originally specifically applied to the related genus ''

Crataegus ''Crataegus'' (), commonly called hawthorn, quickthorn, thornapple, Voss, E. G. 1985. ''Michigan Flora: A guide to the identification and occurrence of the native and naturalized seed-plants of the state. Part II: Dicots (Saururaceae–Cornacea ...

'', now also appears in the common names for some ''Rhaphiolepis'' species. For example, ''Rhaphiolepis indica'' often is called "Indian hawthorn", and ''Rhaphiolepis umbellata'', "Yeddo hawthorn".

Description

The species vary in size, some only reaching , while ''R. ferruginea'' can reach . The

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are alternate, leathery, glossy dark green, simple, long, with an entire or serrated margin. The

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s are white or pink, diameter, produced in small to large

corymb Corymb is a botanical term for an inflorescence with the flowers growing in such a fashion that the outermost are borne on longer pedicels than the inner, bringing all flowers up to a common level. A corymb has a flattish top with a superficial re ...

s with

panicle In botany, a panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a p ...

structure. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

is a small

pome In botany, a pome is a type of fruit produced by flowering plants in the subtribe Malinae of the family Rosaceae. Pome fruits consist of a central "core" containing multiple small seeds, which is enveloped by a tough membrane and surrounded by a ...

diameter, ripening dark purple to black, usually containing only a single

seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

Taxonomy

''Rhaphiolepis'' is closely related to loquats and toyon and is in the apple subtribe along with many other commercially important fruit like pears. Recent phylogenetic research has suggested ''Rhaphiolepis'' and ''

'' (loquats) be merged.

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

treats ''Eriobotrya'' as a synonym of ''Rhaphiolepis''.''Eriobotrya'' Lindl.
''

''. Accessed 29 March 2023. Research suggests the following phylogenetic relationships:

Cultivation and uses

The best known species is ''

Rhaphiolepis indica ''Rhaphiolepis indica'', the Indian hawthorn, India hawthorn or Hong Kong hawthorn is an evergreen shrub in the family Rosaceae. Description They are shrubs or small trees, which rarely reach a size of 4 m in height. The branches are purple brow ...

'' (Indian hawthorn) from southern China, grown for its decorative pink

s, and popular in

bonsai Bonsai (; , ) is the Japanese art of Horticulture, growing and shaping miniature trees in containers, with a long documented history of influences and native Japanese development over a thousand years, and with unique aesthetics, cultural hist ...

culture. ''

Rhaphiolepis umbellata ''Rhaphiolepis umbellata'' or Sexton's bride is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae, native to Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Growing to tall and wide, it is an evergreen shrub with glossy oval leaves, and scented white flowers, some ...

'' (Yeddo hawthorn) from Japan and Korea has blunter leaves and white flowers. It is the hardiest species, tolerating temperatures down to about . The fruit of some varieties is edible when cooked, and can be used to make

jam Fruit preserves are preparations of fruits whose main preserving agent is sugar and sometimes acid, often stored in glass jars and used as a condiment or spread. There are many varieties of fruit preserves globally, distinguished by the meth ...

, but some ornamental varieties bear fruit that is of no culinary value. 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 is 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 in height. The use of ''Rhaphiolepis'' in landscapes in humid regions is limited by the susceptibility of many of its species and hybrids to a disfiguring

leaf spot A leaf spot is a limited, discoloured, diseased area of a leaf that is caused by fungal, bacterial or viral plant diseases, or by injuries from nematodes, insects, environmental factors, toxicity or herbicides. These discoloured spots or lesions ...

disease caused by fungi in the genus ''Entomosporium''.

Species

45 species are currently recognized, according to

. These include species formerly classed as ''

''. * '' Rhaphiolepis angustissima'' (Hook.f.) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis balgooyi'' (K.M.Wong & Ent) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis bengalensis'' (Roxb.) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis bibas'' (Lour.) Galasso & Banfi – loquat * '' Rhaphiolepis brevipetiolata'' J.E.Vidal * '' Rhaphiolepis cavaleriei'' (H.Lév.) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis condaoensis'' (X.F.Gao, Idrees & T.V.Do) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis × daduheensis'' (H.Z.Zhang ex W.B.Liao, Q.Fan & M.Y.Ding) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis deflexa'' (Hemsl.) B.B.Liu & J.Wen – bronze loquat * '' Rhaphiolepis dubia'' (Lindl.) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis elliptica'' (Lindl.) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis ferruginea'' F.P.Metcalf * '' Rhaphiolepis fulvicoma'' (Chun ex W.B.Liao, F.F.Li & D.F.Cui) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis glabrescens'' (J.E.Vidal) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis henryi'' (Nakai) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis hookeriana'' (Decne.) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * ''

'' (L.) Lindl. – Indian hawthorn * '' Rhaphiolepis integerrima'' Hook. & Arn. * '' Rhaphiolepis jiulongjiangensis'' P.C.Huang & K.M.Li * '' Rhaphiolepis lanceolata'' Hu * '' Rhaphiolepis laoshanica'' (W.B.Liao, Q.Fan & S.F.Chen) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis latifolia'' (Hook.f.) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis longifolia'' (Decne.) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis macrocarpa'' (Kurz) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis major'' Cardot * '' Rhaphiolepis malipoensis'' (K.C.Kuan) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis merguiensis'' (J.E.Vidal) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis oblongifolia'' (Merr. & Rolfe) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis obovata'' (W.W.Sm.) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis petiolata'' (Hook.f.) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis philippinensis'' (S.Vidal) Kalkman * '' Rhaphiolepis platyphylla'' (Merr.) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis poilanei'' (J.E.Vidal) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis prinoides'' (Rehder & E.H.Wilson) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis salicifolia'' Lindl. * '' Rhaphiolepis salwinensis'' (Hand.-Mazz.) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis seguinii'' (H.Lév.) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis serrata'' (J.E.Vidal) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis stipularis'' (Craib) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis tengyuehensis'' (W.W.Sm.) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * ''

'' (Thunb.) Makino – Yeddo hawthorn * '' Rhaphiolepis williamtelliana'' (Champ. ex Benth.) B.B.Liu & J.Wen * '' Rhaphiolepis wuzhishanensis'' W.B.Liao, R.H.Miau & Q.Fan

Gallery

File:SoCalIndianHawthorn.jpg, Thirty-year-old Indian hawthorn that has been pruned into a multi-trunked dwarf-like tree File:Rhaphiolepis indica fruits.jpg, Indian hawthorn fruits File:Yeddo-Hawthorn at Brooklyn Botanic Garden Picture 1483.jpg, Yeddo-Hawthorn tree at

Brooklyn Botanic Garden Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) is a botanical garden in the Borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn in New York City. The botanical garden occupies in central Brooklyn, close to Mount Prospect Park, Prospect Park (Brooklyn), Prospect Park, ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

References

{{Taxonbar , from=Q137087 Rosaceae genera Flora of the Indomalayan realm