species 33,186 observations

Loquat

Eriobotrya japonica

Field notes

The loquat (Eriobotrya japonica, Chinese: 枇杷; Pinyin: pípá) is a large evergreen shrub or tree grown commercially for its orange-coloured fruits. It is also cultivated as an ornamental plant.

The loquat is a fruit tree in the family Rosaceae, subfamily Amygdaloideae, tribe Maleae. It is native to the cooler hill regions of south-central China. It has been introduced to regions with subtropical to mild temperate climates throughout the world.

Eriobotrya japonica formerly was thought to be closely related to the genus Mespilus and is still sometimes known as the Japanese medlar, which is the name it takes in other European languages, such as níspero japonés in Spanish or nespolo giapponese in Italian. It is also known as Japanese plum and Chinese plum.