Rhaphiolepis umbellata

(Thunb.) Makino

Japanese hawthorn, Yeddo hawthorn

Rosaceae Edible: Seeds, Fruit 2,662 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Rhaphiolepis umbellata or Sexton's bride is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae, native to Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Growing to 1.5 m (5 ft) tall and wide, it is an evergreen shrub with glossy oval leaves, and scented white flowers, sometimes tinged with pink, in early summer. This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. It is used in Japan as an astringent and a dyeing agent. The bark contains (−)-catechin 7-O-β-d-glucopyranoside and (+)-catechin 5-0-β-d-glucopyranoside.

Description

A bushy shrub. It grows 2-3 m tall. It spreads 2 m wide. The young stems have a dense covering of woolly hairs but these fall off. The leaf blade is broadly oval or half round and 4-9 cm long by 2.5-5 cm wide. It narrows into the leaf stalk. The leaf edges curve back slightly. There can be some teeth near the tip. The flowering shoot is stiff and branched. It is 4-8 cm long. There are usually 5-20 flowers. The flowers have a scent. The flower stalks are 3-10 mm long. The petals are broad and oval and 7-10 mm long. They are rounded and white. The fruit is flattened round shape or pear shape and 7-8 mm long. It is blue-black.

Edible Uses

The seeds can be ground and used as a flour. They are regarded as a famine food, used only when other options are exhausted.

Traditional Uses

The fruit are cooked and eaten. They are also used for jam. The seeds are edible.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

None known

Distribution

It is a warm temperate to subtropical plant. It grows in thickets near the seashore. It suits hardiness zones 8-11. Tasmanian Botanical Gardens. Wittunga Botanical Gardens. Arboretum Tasmania.

Where It Grows

Africa, Asia, Australia, Britain, Canada, China, East Africa, Europe, Hawaii, Indonesia, Japan*, Korea, Mozambique, Norfolk Island, North America, Pacific, SE Asia, Slovenia, Taiwan, Tasmania, USA,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seeds.

Propagation

Seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a shady position in a warm greenhouse. Stored seed should be sown in February or March in a warm greenhouse. Germination is variable. Prick seedlings into individual pots when large enough to handle and grow on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant out into permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5cm with a heel, can be taken in September or October in a frame, with a fair success rate. Layering is also an option.

Other Uses

The plant can be used for informal hedging in frost-free or nearly frost-free areas. A brown dye is obtained from the bark.

Production

In China plants flower in April to June and fruit in September to November.

Synonyms

Laurus umbellata Thunb.Rhaphiolepis ovata

Also Known As

Bunga yedo, Kokutan

References (9)

Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 16:13. 1902 "Raphiolepis"
Cundall, P., (ed.), 2004, Gardening Australia: flora: the gardener's bible. ABC Books. p 1140
Flora of Australia Volume 49, Oceanic Islands 1, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra. (1994) p 164
Flora of China @ efloras.org Volume 9
Hibbert, M., 2002, The Aussie Plant Finder 2002, Florilegium. p 246

Show all 9 references

http://www.botanic-gardens-ljubljana.com/en/plants
Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
Staples, G.W. and Herbst, D.R., 2005, A tropical Garden Flora. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. p 478 (Drawing)
Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 698