Eriobotrya japonica

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Eriobotrya japonica

Description

Small trees. Leaves more or less crowded at twig ends, oblong to lanceolate, 12-28 by 3.5-8 cm, margin shordy dentate in upper part, coriaceous, with 10-22 pairs of nerves, woolly above when very young but soon glabrate, densely woolly and tardily glabrescent below. Stipules intrapetio-lar, cohering or connate into a 2-topped scale, up to 1 cm long. Inflorescence a compound raceme, 15-20 cm long, peduncle short, pedicels very short. Flowers rather large, very hairy. Sepals persistent. Petals long remaining, white. Ovary inferior or almost so, the densely hairy top free from the hypanthium, 5-celled, styles (practically) free, hairy at base. Fruits globular to ovoid, up to 8 cm diam. but usually (much) smaller, exocarp hairy, yellow to orange, mesocarp juicy, endocarps mem- branous. Seeds 2 or 3, large, with firm, glabrous, brown testa.

Distribution

Asia-Tropical, Japan present, SE China present
Native in SE China, there and in Japan cultivated for many years. Now throughout the tropics and subtropics cultivated as a fruit tree. In Malesia: cultivated in home gardens, not commercially, at medium altitudes.

Uses

The juicy fruits (loquat) are eaten raw and made into jam. See

Citation

Backer & Bakh. f. 1964 – In: Fl. Java: 512