''Photinia'' () is a genus of about 30

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of 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 and large

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, but the taxonomy has recently varied greatly, with the genera ''

Heteromeles ''Heteromeles arbutifolia'' (, more commonly by Californian botanists), commonly known as toyon, is a perennial shrub native to Coastal California. It is the sole species in the genus ''Heteromeles''. Description Toyon typically grows from , r ...

'', ''

Stranvaesia ''Stranvaesia'' is a genus of flowering plants 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 fami ...

'' and ''

Aronia ''Aronia'' is a genus of deciduous shrubs, the chokeberries, in the family Rosaceae native to eastern North America and most commonly found in wet woods and swamps. The genus Aronia is considered to have 3 species. The most common and wide ...

'' sometimes included in ''Photinia''. They are a part of the rose family (Rosaceae) and related to the apple. The botanical genus name derives from the Greek word ''photeinos'' for shiny and refers to the often glossy leaves. Most species are evergreen, but deciduous species also occur. The small apple-shaped fruit has a size of 4 to 12 mm and forms in large quantities. They ripen in the fall and often remain hanging on the bush until well into the winter. The fruits are used as food by birds, which excrete the seeds with their droppings and thereby distribute the plant. The natural range of these species is restricted to warm temperate

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

, from the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

east to

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 ...

and south to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and

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 ...

. They have, however, been widely cultivated throughout the world as ornamentals for their white flowers and red fruits. The scientific name ''Photinia'' is also widely used as the common name. Another name sometimes used is "Christmas berry", but this name is a source of confusion, since it is commonly applied to plants in several genera including ''

'', ''

Lycium ''Lycium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The genus has a disjunct distribution around the globe, with species occurring on most continents in temperate and subtropical regions. South America has the most spec ...

'', ''

Schinus ''Schinus'' is a genus of flowering trees and tall shrubs in the sumac family, Anacardiaceae. Members of the genus are commonly known as pepper trees. The Peruvian pepper tree ('' Schinus molle'') is the source of the spice known as pink pep ...

'', and ''

Ruscus ''Ruscus'', commonly known as butcher's broom, is a genus of six species of flowering plants, native to western and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa, and southwestern Asia east to the Caucasus. In the APG III system, APG III cla ...

''. The name "photinia" also continues to be used for several species of small trees in the mountains of

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

and

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

which had formerly been included in the genus ''Photinia''.

Description

Photinias typically grow from 4–15 m tall, with a usually irregular crown of angular branches; the branches are often (not always) thorny. 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, entire or finely toothed, varying between species from 3–15 cm in length and 1.5–5 cm wide; the majority of species are

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 ...

but several are

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

. 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 produced in early summer in dense terminal

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; each flower is 5–10 mm diameter, with five rounded white

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s; they have a mild, hawthorn-like scent. 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 ...

, 4–12 mm across, bright red and berry-like, produced large quantities, maturing in the fall and often persisting well into the winter. The fruit are consumed by

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

s, including

thrushes The thrushes are a passerine bird family, Turdidae, with a worldwide distribution. The family was once much larger before biologists reclassified the former subfamily Saxicolinae, which includes the chats and European robins, as Old World flycat ...

waxwing The waxwings are three species of passerine birds classified in the genus ''Bombycilla''. They are pinkish-brown and pale grey with distinctive smooth plumage in which many body feathers are not individually visible, a black and white eyestripe, ...

s and

starling Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine (perching) birds known for the often dark, glossy iridescent sheen of their plumage; their complex vocalizations including mimicking; and their distinctive, often elaborate swarming behavior, know ...

s; the

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 ...

s are dispersed in their droppings. ''Photinia'' species are sometimes used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

species including

common emerald The common emerald (''Hemithea aestivaria'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species is found throughout the Nearctic and Palearctic regions and the Near East. It is mostly commonly found in the southern half of the Ireland and Britain. ...

feathered thorn The feathered thorn (''Colotois pennaria'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1761. Etymology The common name derives from the very strong feathering on the antennae of the male. Also the species n ...

and

setaceous Hebrew character The setaceous Hebrew character (''Xestia c-nigrum'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. It is found in the Palearctic realm. It is a common specie ...

. Photinias are subject to leaf blight. https://homeguides.sfgate.com/photinia-blight-43033.html.

Taxonomy

Some botanists also include the closely related

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

n species ''

Heteromeles arbutifolia ''Heteromeles arbutifolia'' (, more commonly by Californian botanists), commonly known as toyon, is a perennial shrub native to Coastal California. It is the sole species in the genus ''Heteromeles''. Description Toyon typically grows from , r ...

'' in ''Photinia'' — as ''Photinia arbutifolia''. The genus ''Stranvaesia'' is so similar in

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines *Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts *Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...

to ''Photinia'' that its species have sometimes been included within it, but recent

molecular A molecule is a group of two or more atoms that are held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions that satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, ...

data indicate that the two genera are not closely related. The genus ''Aronia'' has been included in ''Photinia'' in some classifications, but recent molecular data confirm that these genera are not closely related. Other close relatives include the firethorns (''Pyracantha''),

cotoneaster ''Cotoneaster'' is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, native to the Palaearctic region (temperate Asia, Europe, north Africa), with a strong concentration of diversity in the genus in the mountains of southwestern China a ...

s (''Cotoneaster'') and hawthorns (''Crataegus''). A number of species have been moved to the separate genus ''

'' including ''P. amphidoxa'', ''P. davidiana'', ''P. nussia'', and ''P. tomentosa''.

Uses

Photinias are very popular ornamental shrubs, grown for their fruit and foliage. Numerous hybrids and

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

s are available; several of the cultivars are selected for their strikingly bright red young leaves in spring and summer. The most widely planted are: *'' Photinia × fraseri'' ('' P. glabra'' × '' P. serratifolia'') - red tip photinia, Christmas berry :*''Photinia'' × ''fraseri'' 'Red Robin' - probably the most widely planted of all, this cultivar has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

:*''Photinia'' × ''fraseri'' 'Little Red Robin', a plant similar to 'Red Robin', but dwarf in stature with an ultimate height/spread of around 2–3 ft :*''Photinia'' × ''fraseri'' 'Camilvy' :*''Photinia'' × ''fraseri'' 'Curly Fantasy' :*''Photinia'' × ''fraseri'' 'Super Hedger' - a newer hybrid with strong upright growth :*''Photinia'' × ''fraseri'' 'Pink Marble' also known as 'Cassini', a new cultivar with rose-pink tinted new growth and a creamy-white variegated margin on the leaves :*''Photinia'' × ''fraseri'' 'Robusta' *''Photinia'' 'Redstart' (''Stranvaesia davidiana'' × ''P.'' × ''fraseri'') *''Photinia'' 'Palette' (parentage unknown) *''Photinia davidiana'' 'Fructu Luteo' (fruit yellow) *''Photinia davidiana'' 'Prostrata' (a low-growing form)

Toxicity

Some varieties of ''Photinia'' are toxic due to the presence of

cyanogenic glycosides In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to another functional group via a glycosidic bond. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides. ...

in the

vacuole A vacuole () is a membrane-bound organelle which is present in Plant cell, plant and Fungus, fungal Cell (biology), cells and some protist, animal, and bacterial cells. Vacuoles are essentially enclosed compartments which are filled with water ...

s of foliage and fruit cells. When the leaves are chewed these compounds are released and are rapidly converted to

hydrogen cyanide Hydrogen cyanide (formerly known as prussic acid) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula, formula HCN and structural formula . It is a highly toxic and flammable liquid that boiling, boils slightly above room temperature, at . HCN is ...

(HCN) which blocks

cellular respiration Cellular respiration is the process of oxidizing biological fuels using an inorganic electron acceptor, such as oxygen, to drive production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which stores chemical energy in a biologically accessible form. Cell ...

. The amount of HCN produced varies considerably between

taxa In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and ...

, and is in general greatest in young leaves.

Ruminant Ruminants are herbivorous grazing or browsing artiodactyls belonging to the suborder Ruminantia that are able to acquire nutrients from plant-based food by fermenting it in a specialized stomach prior to digestion, principally through microb ...

s are particularly affected by cyanogenic glycosides because the first stage of their digestive system (the

rumen The rumen, also known as a paunch, is the largest stomach compartment in ruminants. The rumen and the reticulum make up the reticulorumen in ruminant animals. The diverse microbial communities in the rumen allows it to serve as the primary si ...

) provides better conditions for liberating HCN than the

stomach The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the upper gastrointestinal tract of Human, humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The Ancient Greek name for the stomach is ''gaster'' which is used as ''gastric'' in medical t ...

s of

monogastric A monogastric organism defines one of the many types of digestive tracts found among different species of animals. The defining feature of a monogastric is that it has a simple single-chambered stomach (one stomach). A monogastric can be classifie ...

vertebrate Vertebrates () are animals with a vertebral column (backbone or spine), and a cranium, or skull. The vertebral column surrounds and protects the spinal cord, while the cranium protects the brain. The vertebrates make up the subphylum Vertebra ...

Species list

The following 33 species are accepted by

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 ...

* '' Photinia anlungensis'' * '' Photinia arbutifolia'' * '' Photinia berberidifolia'' * '' Photinia chihsiniana'' * '' Photinia chingiana'' * '' Photinia chingshuiensis'' * ''

Photinia chiuana ''Photinia'' () is a genus of about 30 species of small trees and large shrubs, but the taxonomy has recently varied greatly, with the genera ''Heteromeles'', '' Stranvaesia'' and ''Aronia'' sometimes included in ''Photinia''. They are a part of ...

'' * '' Photinia crassifolia'' * '' Photinia cucphuongensis'' * '' Photinia davidiana'' * '' Photinia fokienensis'' * '' Photinia × fraseri'' * '' Photinia glabra'' * '' Photinia griffithii'' * '' Photinia hirsuta'' * '' Photinia impressivena'' * '' Photinia integrifolia'' * '' Photinia lanuginosa'' * '' Photinia lasiogyna'' * '' Photinia lindleyana'' * '' Photinia lochengensis'' * '' Photinia loriformis'' * '' Photinia megaphylla'' * '' Photinia prionophylla'' * '' Photinia prunifolia'' * '' Photinia pustulata'' * ''

Photinia raupingensis ''Photinia raupingensis'' is a species in the family Rosaceae of flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words ...

'' * '' Photinia serratifolia'' * '' Photinia sorbifolia'' * ''

Photinia stenophylla ''Photinia stenophylla'' () is a species in the family Rosaceae of flowering plants. It is found in China and Thailand. References

Photinia, stenophylla {{maleae-stub ...

'' * '' Photinia taishunensis'' * '' Photinia tushanensis'' * ''

Photinia undulata ''Photinia'' () is a genus of about 30 species of small trees and large shrubs, but the taxonomy has recently varied greatly, with the genera ''Heteromeles'', ''Stranvaesia'' and ''Aronia'' sometimes included in ''Photinia''. They are a part of ...

'' * '' Photinia wrightiana'' * '' Photinia zhejiangensis'' Additionally, ''

Photinia beauverdiana ''Photinia beauverdiana'', known commonly as the Christmas berry, is a type of deciduous shrub or tree that was validly published by Camillo Karl Schneider Camillo Karl Schneider (7 April 1876 – 5 January 1951) was a German botanist and land ...

'' is listed by POWO as a synonym of '' Pourthiaea arguta'', but is otherwise considered in this genus.

References

External links

Flora of China: ''Stranvaesia''
{{taxonbar , from=Q1070845 Garden plants Rosaceae genera Shrubs