| − | Eriobotrya japonica, Limit (Photinia japonica, Gray). Loquat. Fig. 1416. Small tree, to 20 ft.: lvs. thick, evergreen, nearly sessile, oval-oblong or obovate, remotely toothed, bright green and lustrous above, rusty-tomentose below, 6-10 in. long: panicles 4-7 in. long; fls. white, ½ in. across, nearly hidden in the rusty-woolly pubescence: fr. pear-shaped, yellow, about 1½ in. long, with few large seeds, of agreeable acid flavor. Sept., Oct.; fr. April-June. Japan, China. B.R. 365. G.C. III. 26:660 (suppl.); 52:318. H.U. 3, p. 97. A.G. 1891, pp. 19, 370. G.W. 3, p. 439; 8, p. 314.—The loquat is native to China and Japan, but is much planted in the Gulf states and westward. It blooms from Aug. until the approach of winter, and ripens its clustered fr. in very early spring. The fr. is often seen in northern markets. It is a profuse bearer in congenial climates. See Loquat. Loquat is an excellent decorative plant, either as an evergreen lawn tree south of Charleston, or as a pot-plant in the N. It is a most satisfactory conservatory subject, resisting uncongenial conditions. Var. variegata, Hort. Lvs. variegated with irregular markings of pale green, dark green and white. Alfred Rehder.
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