[260] Photinia x fraseri, Red-tip Photinia

[260] Photinia x fraseri, Red Tip Photinia

Introduction

Photinia x fraseri, Red Tip Photinia is a hybrid species widely cultivated as a hedge plant with leaves that are crimson red when they emerge in spring.

It is a hybrid between Photinia glabra, Japanese Photinia, and Photinia serratifolia, Chinese (or Taiwanese) Photinia.

Species of Photinia are sometimes called Christmas Berries, but it won’t surprise you that so are several other unrelated species.

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Plants

Division – Vascular Plants

Class – Angiosperms (Flowering Plants)

Order – Rosales

Family – Rosaceae

Genus – Photinia

Scientific Name – Photinia x fraseri, which is actually Photinia glabra x Photinia serratifolia

Several cultivars are available.

Name

Photinia comes from the Ancient Greek photeinos meaning shiny, from its glossy leaves. The Latin glabra means smooth; and serrati-folia means having serrated leaves.

The hybrid was first produced at Fraser nurseries in Birmingham, Alabama, USA in the 1940s, presumably named after one of many people called Fraser.

As for many cultivated plants, its common name is the same as the scientific name of its genus.

Description

Photinia species are closely related to [101-102] Cotoneasters, [103] Hawthorns, and [286] Firethorns. They are typically large shrubs or small trees. Both the parent species of this hybrid are very similar. They come from eastern Asia.

Photinia x fraseri can grow to a tree of about five metres but it is almost always cultivated as a hedge plant.

It is a compact evergreen shrub with glossy dark green leaves. Every year in Spring the newly emerging leaves and the stalks that hold them are a vivid red colour.

I produces lots of small white flowers and small black fruits.

Habitat and use

In the UK this is very much a cultivated ornamental plant. Its origins are from Asia.

I have seen specimens that become small trees but it almost always a hedge plant. It’s usually allowed to develop a thick covering of attractive red leaves before being trimmed back to a rectangular hedge but this is not normally extended to letting them flower.

Other Notes

This is one the most attractive hedge plants available. As well as its spring colour, it is evergreen and dense enough to form a barrier hedge.

See also

Most Hedge plants are essentially similar.