Japanese Photinia is a large evergreen shrub or small tree that grows up to 20' tall. This plant blooms in late spring (making it the last of the photinias to flower). It's foetid blooms are offensive to many people. New foliage is a colorful reddish bronze, and reddish buds are visible most of the year. This plant is alkaline tolerant and drought tolerant. This plant is intolerant of wet conditions. It is the least cold-tolerant of the photinias. This plant can be grown as a small tree. It has pest and disease problems, such as leaf spot. Form: Upright; loose, rounded Quick ID Hints: Leaves are alternate, coriaceous, and elliptic-obovate Leaves are reddish when young Leaves have 8-14 pairs of lateral veins
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil pH
Alkaline (>8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry | Very Dry
Mature size
Height: 10 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in. | Width: 6 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Rounded; Vase
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Green; Red/Burgundy
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Obovate
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
1-3 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Leaves are alternate, simple, elliptic to obovate, 2-3" long and 1/3 to 1/2 as wide, acute, cuneate, serrulate, coriaceous, and with 8-14 pairs of parallel leaf veins. Leaves are lustrous dark green in color and new growth is bronzy red.
Flower color
White
Flower form
Cyme
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
White flowers that are sometimes flushed pink have an offensive odor and are less than an inch in size. Inflorescence is a terminal cyme that is 2-4" in diameter.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Pome
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Fruits are a berry-like pome that is red and isless than an inch in size.