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Rhaphiolepis umbellata
Credits
Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles
Recommended citation
'Rhaphiolepis umbellata' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.
Synonyms
- Laurus umbellata Thunb.
- R. japonica Sieb. & Zucc.
- R. ovata Briot
- R. umbellata f. ovata (Briot) Schneid.
- R. umbellata var. integerrima Hook.
An evergreen shrub of sturdy, rounded form, up to 10 ft in height, with downy young wood. Leaves very stout and leathery, broadly oval or obovate, tapering at the base to a stout stalk 1⁄2 in. long, round or blunt-pointed, the terminal part usually shallow-toothed, the lower entire, 11⁄2 to 31⁄2 in. long, about two-thirds as much wide. When young, the leaf is covered on both sides with a loose felt of grey down which rapidly falls away, leaving the surfaces quite glabrous, or with a few pieces of down about the midrib. Flowers fragrant, white, 3⁄4 in. across, produced in a stiff terminal panicle or raceme 3 or 4 in. high, in June. Calyx very woolly, funnel-shaped, with five narrow, pointed lobes. Fruits pear-shaped, blue-black, erect, 1⁄2 in. long, one-seeded. Bot. Mag., t. 5510.
Native of Japan and Korea; introduced about 1862. This striking shrub would appear to be hardier than is generally supposed; it is quite healthy in the open at Kew, but no doubt likes a sheltered spot. It is a handsome shrub, well worth growing for the sake of its pure white scented blossoms. Propagated by seeds, or cuttings made of half-ripened shoots.
