# Photinia > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Photinia > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Photinia.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photinia > Source revision: 1349001038 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Genus of shrubs in the family Rosaceae}} {{Automatic taxobox | fossil_range = {{fossil range|50|0|[Eocene](/source/Eocene) - recent|ref={{Cite web |title=Rosales|url=http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/orders/rosalesweb.htm|access-date=2023-06-16 |website=www.mobot.org}}}} | image = Photinia _fraseri_A.jpg | image_caption = ''Photinia Glansmispel'' × ''fraseri'' | display_parents = 3 | taxon = Photinia | authority = [Lindl.](/source/John_Lindley){{R|POWO}} | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = See text | synonyms = * ''Heteromeles'' M.Roem. * ''Myriomeles'' (Lindl.) Lindl. | synonyms_ref = {{R|POWO}} }} '''''Photinia''''' ({{IPAc-en|f|oʊ|ˈ|t|ɪ|n|i|ə|,_|f|ə|-}}{{refn|''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607}}{{refn|{{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Photinia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123205216/https://www.lexico.com/definition/Photinia |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 23, 2022 |title=Photinia |dictionary=[Lexico](/source/Lexico) UK English Dictionary |publisher=[Oxford University Press](/source/Oxford_University_Press)}}{{dead link|date=September 2022|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} }}{{refn|{{Dictionary.com |accessdate=2016-01-22 |Photinia}}}}) is a genus of about 30 [species](/source/species) of small [tree](/source/tree)s and large [shrub](/source/shrub)s, but the taxonomy has recently varied greatly,{{when|date=August 2022}} with the genera ''[Heteromeles](/source/Heteromeles)'', ''[Stranvaesia](/source/Stranvaesia)'' and ''[Aronia](/source/Aronia)'' sometimes included in ''Photinia''. They are a part of the rose family (Rosaceae) and related to the apple. The botanical genus name derives from the Greek word φωτεινός / ''phōteinós'' for "shiny" and refers to the often glossy leaves. Most species are evergreen, but deciduous species also occur. The small apple-shaped fruit has a size of 4 to 12 mm and forms in large quantities. They ripen in the fall and often remain hanging on the bush until well into the winter. The fruits are used as food by birds, which excrete the seeds with their droppings and thereby distribute the plant. The natural range of these species is restricted to warm temperate and tropical Asia, from the [Himalayas](/source/Himalayas) east to [Japan](/source/Japan) and south to [India](/source/India), [Indochina](/source/Indochina) and [Malesia](/source/Malesia).{{R|POWO}} They have, however, been widely cultivated throughout the world as ornamentals for their white flowers and red fruits. The scientific name ''Photinia'' is also widely used as the common name. Another name sometimes used is "Christmas berry", but this name is a source of confusion, since it is commonly applied to plants in several genera including ''[Heteromeles](/source/Heteromeles)'', ''[Lycium](/source/Lycium)'', ''[Schinus](/source/Schinus)'', and ''[Ruscus](/source/Ruscus)''. The name "photinia" also continues to be used for several species of small trees in the mountains of [Mexico](/source/Mexico) and [Central America](/source/Central_America) which had formerly been included in the genus ''Photinia''.{{cite journal |last=Phipps |first=J.B. |year=1992 |title=''Heteromeles'' and ''Photinia'' (Rosaceae subfam. Maloideae) of Mexico and Central America |journal=Canadian Journal of Botany |volume=70 |issue=11 |pages=2138–62 |doi=10.1139/b92-266 |bibcode=1992CaJB...70.2138P |url=http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/b92-26|url-access=subscription }} ==Description== thumb|''Photinia × fraseri'', showing the red colour of new growth contrasted to the glossy green older leaves Photinias typically grow from 4–15 m tall, with a usually irregular crown of angular branches; the branches are often (not always) thorny. The [leaves](/source/leaf) are alternate, entire or finely toothed, varying between species from 3–15 cm in length and 1.5–5 cm wide; the majority of species are [evergreen](/source/evergreen) but several are [deciduous](/source/deciduous). The [flower](/source/flower)s are produced in early summer in dense terminal [corymb](/source/corymb)s; each flower is 5–10 mm diameter, with five rounded white [petal](/source/petal)s; they have a mild, [hawthorn](/source/Crataegus)-like scent. The [fruit](/source/fruit) is a small [pome](/source/pome), 4–12 mm across, bright red and berry-like, produced large quantities, maturing in the fall and often persisting well into the winter. The fruit are consumed by [bird](/source/bird)s, including [thrushes](/source/thrush_(bird)), [waxwing](/source/waxwing)s and [starling](/source/starling)s; the [seed](/source/seed)s are dispersed in their droppings. ''Photinia'' species are sometimes used as food plants by the [larva](/source/larva)e of some [Lepidoptera](/source/Lepidoptera) species including [common emerald](/source/common_emerald), [feathered thorn](/source/feathered_thorn) and [setaceous Hebrew character](/source/setaceous_Hebrew_character). Photinias are subject to leaf blight. https://homeguides.sfgate.com/photinia-blight-43033.html. ==Taxonomy== Some botanists also include the closely related [North America](/source/North_America)n species ''[Heteromeles arbutifolia](/source/Heteromeles)'' in ''Photinia'' — as ''Photinia arbutifolia''. The genus ''Stranvaesia'' is so similar in [morphology](/source/Morphology_(biology)) to ''Photinia'' that its species have sometimes been included within it,{{cite journal |first=J.E. |last=Vidal |title=Notes sur quelques Rosacées Asiatique (II) (Photinia, Stranvaesia) |journal=Adansonia |volume=5 |pages=221–237 |year=1965|issue=2 |doi=10.5962/p.296406 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/296406 |doi-access=free |bibcode=1965Adan....5..221V }}{{cite journal |first=C. |last=Kalkman |title=The Malesian species of the subfamily Maloideae (Rosaceae) |journal=Blumea |volume=21 |pages=413–442 |year=1973 |format=PDF |url=http://repository.naturalis.nl/document/564949}} but recent [molecular](/source/molecular_biology) data{{cite journal |last1=Campbell |first1=C.S. |last2=Evans |first2=R.C. |last3=Morgan |first3=D.R. |last4=Dickinson |first4=T.A. |last5=Arsenault |first5=M.P. |title=Phylogeny of subtribe Pyrinae (formerly the Maloideae, Rosaceae): Limited resolution of a complex evolutionary history |journal=Plant Systematics and Evolution |volume=266 |issue=1–2 |pages=119–145 |year=2007 |doi=10.1007/s00606-007-0545-y |bibcode=2007PSyEv.266..119C |citeseerx=10.1.1.453.8954 |s2cid=13639534}} indicate that the two genera are not closely related. The genus ''Aronia'' has been included in ''Photinia'' in some classifications,{{cite journal |last1=Robertson |first1=K.R. |last2=Phipps |first2=J.B. |last3=Rohrer |first3=J.R. |last4=Smith |first4=P.G. |title=A synopsis of genera in Maloideae (Rosaceae) |journal=Systematic Botany |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=376–394 |year=1991 |jstor=2419287 |doi=10.2307/2419287|bibcode=1991SysBo..16..376R }} but recent [molecular data](/source/molecular_biology) confirm that these genera are not closely related. Other close relatives include the [firethorn](/source/firethorn)s (''Pyracantha''), [cotoneaster](/source/cotoneaster)s (''Cotoneaster'') and [hawthorn](/source/Crataegus)s (''Crataegus''). A number of species have been moved to the separate genus ''[Stranvaesia](/source/Stranvaesia)'' including ''P. amphidoxa'', ''P. davidiana'', ''P. nussia'', and ''P. tomentosa''. ==Uses== right|thumb|Flower of an ornamental shrub cultivar Photinias are very popular [ornamental shrubs](/source/ornamental_plant), grown for their fruit and foliage. Numerous [hybrids](/source/Hybrid_(biology)) and [cultivar](/source/cultivar)s are available; several of the cultivars are selected for their strikingly bright red young leaves in spring and summer. The most widely planted are: *''[Photinia × fraseri](/source/Photinia_%C3%97_fraseri)'' (''[P. glabra](/source/Photinia_glabra)'' × ''[P. serratifolia](/source/Photinia_serratifolia)'') - red tip photinia, Christmas berry :*''Photinia'' × ''fraseri'' 'Red Robin' - probably the most widely planted of all, this cultivar has gained the [Royal Horticultural Society](/source/Royal_Horticultural_Society)'s [Award of Garden Merit](/source/Award_of_Garden_Merit){{cite web|title=RHS Plant Selector - ''Photinia x fraseri'' 'Red Robin'|url=http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=1442|access-date=26 May 2013|archive-date=21 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621020536/http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=1442|url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf |title=AGM Plants - Ornamental |date=July 2017 |page=78 |publisher=Royal Horticultural Society |access-date=25 April 2018}} :*''Photinia'' × ''fraseri'' 'Little Red Robin', a plant similar to 'Red Robin', but dwarf in stature with an ultimate height/spread of around 2–3 ft :*''Photinia'' × ''fraseri'' 'Camilvy' :*''Photinia'' × ''fraseri'' 'Curly Fantasy' :*''Photinia'' × ''fraseri'' 'Super Hedger' - a newer hybrid with strong upright growth :*''Photinia'' × ''fraseri'' 'Pink Marble' also known as 'Cassini', a new cultivar with rose-pink tinted new growth and a creamy-white variegated margin on the leaves :*''Photinia'' × ''fraseri'' 'Robusta'{{Cite web |url=https://www.gardensonline.com.au/gardenshed/plantfinder/show_1860.aspx |title=Photinia x fraseri Robusta {{!}} GardensOnline |last=Ltd |first=GardensOnline Pty |website=www.gardensonline.com.au |access-date=2020-02-24}} *''Photinia'' 'Redstart' (''P. davidiana'' × ''P.'' × ''fraseri'') *''Photinia'' 'Palette' (parentage unknown) *''Photinia davidiana'' 'Fructu Luteo' (fruit yellow) *''Photinia davidiana'' 'Prostrata' (a low-growing form) ==Toxicity== Some varieties of ''Photinia'' are toxic due to the presence of [cyanogenic glycosides](/source/Glycoside) in the [vacuole](/source/vacuole)s of foliage and fruit cells.{{cite web |url=http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/htm/bc/ttox04.htm |work=[Merck Veterinary Manual](/source/Merck_Veterinary_Manual) |title=Table 4: Poisonous Range Plants of Temperate North America |access-date=2011-05-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070711100027/http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/htm/bc/ttox04.htm |archive-date=2007-07-11}} When the leaves are chewed these compounds are released and are rapidly converted to [hydrogen cyanide](/source/hydrogen_cyanide) (HCN) which blocks [cellular respiration](/source/cellular_respiration). The amount of HCN produced varies considerably between [taxa](/source/Taxon), and is in general greatest in young leaves.{{cite journal |url=http://www.hriresearch.org/docs/publications/JEH/JEH_1996/JEH_1996_14_3/JEH%2014-3-154-157.pdf |journal=J. Environ. Hort. |volume=14 |issue=3 |pages=154–7 |date=September 1996 |author=K.A. Jacobs |author2=F.S. Santamour Jr. |author3=G.R. Johnson |author4=M.A. Dirrs |title=Differential Resistance to Entomosporium Leafspot Disease and Hydrogen Cyanide Potential in Photinia |archive-date=2016-03-04 |access-date=2011-05-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304002407/http://www.hriresearch.org/docs/publications/JEH/JEH_1996/JEH_1996_14_3/JEH%2014-3-154-157.pdf |url-status=dead }} [Ruminant](/source/Ruminant)s are particularly affected by cyanogenic glycosides because the first stage of their digestive system (the [rumen](/source/rumen)) provides better conditions for liberating HCN than the [stomach](/source/stomach)s of [monogastric](/source/monogastric) [vertebrate](/source/vertebrate)s.{{cite web |url=http://pubstorage.sdstate.edu/AgBio_Publications/articles/ExEx4016.pdf |title=Prussic Acid Poisoning of Livestock: Causes and Prevention (ExEx 4016) |author=Lester R. Vough, E. Kim Cassel |publisher=[South Dakota State University](/source/South_Dakota_State_University) |year=2004–2006 |access-date=2011-05-04 |archive-date=2013-05-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531052208/http://pubstorage.sdstate.edu/AgBio_Publications/articles/ExEx4016.pdf |url-status=dead }} ==Species list== 27 species are accepted by [Plants of the World Online](/source/Plants_of_the_World_Online) {{As of |2025|August|lc=y}}.{{R|POWO}} {{div col}} * ''[Photinia anlungensis](/source/Photinia_anlungensis)'' {{small|T.T.Yu}} * ''[Photinia arbutifolia](/source/Photinia_arbutifolia)'' {{small|Lindl.}} * ''[Photinia berberidifolia](/source/Photinia_berberidifolia)'' {{small|Rehder & E.H.Wilson}} * ''[Photinia chihsiniana](/source/Photinia_chihsiniana)'' {{small|K.C.Kuan}} * ''[Photinia chingiana](/source/Photinia_chingiana)'' {{small|Hand.-Mazz.}} * ''[Photinia chingshuiensis](/source/Photinia_chingshuiensis)'' {{small|(T.Shimizu) T.S.Liu & H.J.Su}} * ''[Photinia chiuana](/source/Photinia_chiuana)'' {{small|Z.H.Chen, Feng Chen & X.F.Jin}} * ''[Photinia crassifolia](/source/Photinia_crassifolia)'' {{small|H.Lév.}} * ''[Photinia cucphuongensis](/source/Photinia_cucphuongensis)'' {{small|T.H.Nguyên & Yakovlev}} * ''[Photinia davidiana](/source/Photinia_davidiana)'' {{small|(Decne.) Cardot}} * ''[Photinia fokienensis](/source/Photinia_fokienensis)'' {{small|(Finet & Franch.) Franch. ex Cardot}} * ''[Photinia × fraseri](/source/Photinia_%C3%97_fraseri)'' {{small|Dress}} * ''[Photinia glabra](/source/Photinia_glabra)'' {{small|(Thunb.) Jacob-Makoy}} * ''[Photinia griffithii](/source/Photinia_griffithii)'' {{small|Decne.}} * ''[Photinia hirsuta](/source/Photinia_hirsuta)'' {{small|Hand.-Mazz.}} * ''[Photinia impressivena](/source/Photinia_impressivena)'' {{small|Hayata}} * ''[Photinia integrifolia](/source/Photinia_integrifolia)'' {{small|Lindl.}} * ''[Photinia lanuginosa](/source/Photinia_lanuginosa)'' {{small|T.T.Yu}} * ''[Photinia lindleyana](/source/Photinia_lindleyana)'' {{small|Wight & Arn.}} * ''[Photinia lochengensis](/source/Photinia_lochengensis)'' {{small|T.T.Yu}} * ''[Photinia loriformis](/source/Photinia_loriformis)'' {{small|W.W.Sm.}} * ''[Photinia megaphylla](/source/Photinia_megaphylla)'' {{small|T.T.Yu & T.C.Ku}} * ''[Photinia microphylla](/source/Photinia_microphylla)'' {{small|(J.E.Vidal) B.B.Liu}} * ''[Photinia prionophylla](/source/Photinia_prionophylla)'' {{small|(Franch.) C.K.Schneid.}} * ''[Photinia prunifolia](/source/Photinia_prunifolia)'' {{small|(Hook. & Arn.) Lindl.}} * ''[Photinia serratifolia](/source/Photinia_serratifolia)'' {{small|(Desf.) Kalkman}} * ''[Photinia stenophylla](/source/Photinia_stenophylla)'' {{small|Hand.-Mazz.}} * ''[Photinia taishunensis](/source/Photinia_taishunensis)'' {{small|G.H.Xia, L.H.Lou & S.H.Jin}} * ''[Photinia tushanensis](/source/Photinia_tushanensis)'' {{small|T.T.Yu}} * ''[Photinia wrightiana](/source/Photinia_wrightiana)'' {{small|Maxim.}} {{div col end}} ===Extinct species=== A small group of extinct species have been described from the Asian, European, and North American fossil records. * †''[Photinia eratonis](/source/Photinia_eratonis)'' {{small|von Ettingshausen, 1888}} Langhian, Styria, Austria{{cite book |last1=von Ettingshausen |first1=C. |year=1888 |title=Die fossile Flora von Leoben in Steiermark |volume=2 |page=359}} * †''[Photinia kodorica](/source/Photinia_kodorica)'' {{small|Kolakovsky, 1960}} Pliocene, Kodor river, Abkhazia/Georgia{{cite journal |last1=Kolakovsky |first1=A. A. |year=1960 |title=Vtoroe dopolnenie k Kodorskoj pliotsenovoj flore |journal=Ak̄uatãi abotanikatã bah̦ča ausumţaķua |volume=12 |page=246}} * †''[Photinia pageae](/source/Photinia_pageae)'' {{small|[Wolfe](/source/Jack_A._Wolfe) & [Wehr](/source/Wesley_Wehr), 1987}} Ypresian, [Eocene Okanogan Highlands](/source/Eocene_Okanogan_Highlands), Western North America{{cite report |last1=Wolfe |first1=J.A. |last2= Wehr |first2=W.C. |year=1987 |title=Middle Eocene dicotyledonous plants from Republic, northeastern Washington |series= Bulletin |publisher=United States Geological Survey |volume=1597 |pages=1–25 |doi=10.3133/b1597 |doi-access=free }} * †''[Photinia sarmatiaca](/source/Photinia_sarmatiaca)'' {{small|Doweld, 2018}} (replacement name for ''Photinia acuminata'' {{small|Baikovskaja, 1965}}) Serravallian, Rostov region, Russian Federation{{cite journal |last1=Dowald |first1=A. |year=2018 |title=Palaeoflora Europaea: Notulae Systematicae ad Palaeofloram Europaeam spectantes I |journal=Phytotaxa |volume=379 |issue=1 |page=86}} * †''[Photinia szaferi](/source/Photinia_szaferi)'' {{small|Zastawniak, 1979}} Tortonian, Mirotstowice Dolne, Lower Silesia, Poland{{cite journal |last1=Zastawniak |first1=E. |year=1978 |title=Upper Miocene leaf flora from Mirostowice Dolne (Western Poland) |journal=Acta Palaeobotanica |volume=19 |issue=1 |page=47}} ===Formerly placed here=== * ''[Pourthiaea arguta](/source/Pourthiaea_arguta)'' {{small|(Wall. ex Lindl.) Decne.}} (as ''Photinia arguta'' {{small|Wall. ex Lindl.}}) * ''[Pourthiaea beauverdiana](/source/Pourthiaea_beauverdiana)'' {{small|(C.K.Schneid.) Hatus.}} (as ''Photinia beauverdiana'' {{small|C.K.Schneid.}}) * ''[Pourthiaea pustulata](/source/Pourthiaea_pustulata)'' {{small|(Lindl.) B.B.Liu}} (as ''Photinia pustulata'' {{small|Lindl.}}) * ''[Pourthiaea sorbifolia](/source/Pourthiaea_sorbifolia)'' {{small|(W.B.Liao & W.Guo) B.B.Liu & D.Y.Hong}} (as ''Photinia sorbifolia'' {{small |W.B.Liao & W.Guo}}) * ''[Pourthiaea zhejiangensis](/source/Pourthiaea_zhejiangensis)'' {{small|(P.L.Chiu) Iketani & H.Ohashi}} (as ''Photinia zhejiangensis'' {{small |P.L.Chiu}}) * ''[Stranvaesia lasiogyna](/source/Stranvaesia_lasiogyna)'' {{small|(Franch.) B.B.Liu}} (as ''Photinia lasiogyna'' {{small|(Franch.) C.K.Schneid.}}) * ''[Weniomeles atropurpurea](/source/Weniomeles_atropurpurea)'' {{small|(P.L.Chiu ex Z.H.Chen & X.F.Jin) B.B.Liu}} (as ''Photinia atropurpurea'' {{small|P.L.Chiu ex Z.H.Chen & X.F.Jin}}) * ''[Weniomeles bodinieri](/source/Weniomeles_bodinieri)'' {{small|(H.Lév.) B.B.Liu}} (as ''Photinia bodinieri'' {{small|H.Lév.}}) ==References== {{cite POWO |id=30014031-2 |title=''Photinia'' Lindl. |access-date=7 August 2025}} ==External links== *[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=131653 Flora of China: ''Stranvaesia''] {{taxonbar |from=Q1070845}} Category:Photinia Category:Garden plants Category:Rosaceae genera Category:Shrubs --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Photinia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photinia) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photinia?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.