December Plant Profile: Bronze Loquat
Eriobotrya deflexa
Family: Rosaceae
Commonly called: Bronze Loquat
We added an interesting specimen this year as a foundation tree in the newly renovated Soest Herbaceous Display Garden bed 3. Our Bronze Loquat was grown from seed that was wild collected by Dan Hinckley at higher elevation in the mountains of Taiwan. We received a sapling from Dan in 2014 and have grown it to larger size in our nursery before planting earlier this year. If the conditions are right, it will grow to 15-20 feet tall with a 10-15 foot spread. As this bed is in full sun, we hope that it will be a nice shady canopy for the partial shade loving plants that are growing around it.
This loquat species is recognizable by its 5 to 10-inch leathery evergreen leaves that are sharply toothed and oblong, newly emerging a bright copper color that eventually turn dark green.
Clusters of small creamy white fragrant flowers appear in the spring. The name of this plant is derived from the Greek erion (wool) and botrys (cluster of grapes) referring to the terminal panicles that cover the tree when in bloom. They are followed by small inedible fruits that attract birds and other wildlife.
It is typically shrubby with tight, compact growth but is easily trained into tree form to show off its lovely white bark, espaliered on a wall or used as a dense hedge. The branches have a drooping tendency caused by the heavy foliage (thus deflexa) and require pruning for stronger growth.
Native to SE China, Vietnam and Taiwan, the Bronze Loquat requires moist, well-drained soil and full sun to light shade conditions. While they are popular street and yard trees on the southern coasts of the U.S. in California and along the Gulf Coast, it is hoped that this specimen will be hardier than typical Eriobotrya deflexa in cultivation.
The more commonly seen Japanese loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) blooms in the fall and has yellow-orange, pear shaped one-inch edible fruit that ripen in early summer. Many other cultivars are also grown for their edible fruit across China and eastern Asia.
