Loquat

Eriobotrya japonica

(err-eh-o-BOT-tree-ah jah-PON-ih-kah)

Evergreen – Sun / Part Shade

Height 10’-15’ Spread 10’-15’ Spacing 8’-12’

HABIT: Large shrub or small tree. Large, leathery, grey-green leaves. Fragrant off-white flowers in fall and edible fruit in the spring. Native to China and Japan.

CULTURE: Any soil with moderate water and fertilizer. Does best in well prepared beds in areas protected from winter winds.

USES: Screen, specimen or background plant. Lower foliage can be trimmed off to form small ornamental tree.

PROBLEMS: Fireblight (spray with streptomycin in fall when plant is in bloom). Freeze damage in northern part of the state.

NOTES: Many loquats died in the 1983 freeze