Indian Hawthorn

Rhaphiolepis indica (raf-i-o-LE-pis IN-di-ka)

Family: Rosaceae Non-native Shrub (3-15 ft)

Indian hawthorn is a dense, mounding, broadleaf evergreen shrub cultivated for its foliage and flowers. It is native to southern China and Southeast Asia, where it is found on woodland slopes and along streams. It is a member of the rose family (Rosaceae). The genus name, Rhaphiolepsis , is from the Greek words rhaphis, which means needle, and lepis, which refers to a scale on the bracteole of the flowers. The species epithet, indica, is Latin and means "of India." Ironically, it is not native to India. Indian hawthorn is winter hardy in hardiness zones 8 to 10. It is not cold-tolerant in colder zones. This shrub prefers full sun. It tolerates light shade, but the best flowering and resistance to fungal diseases occur in full sun. Moist, well-drained soils are needed, although established shrubs have some drought tolerance. To prevent leaf spots, avoid wetting the leaves by avoiding the use of sprinklers. Pruning is best done after flowering in the spring. This shrub is browsed and enjoyed by deer. Indian hawthorn grows 4 to 6 feet tall and equally as wide. The leaves initially emerge as bronze colored and transition to deep green. In the spring, small fragrant white or pink flowers are born on panicles that cover the shrub. Dark berries appear after flowering and persist through the winter months. Birds and small mammals are attracted to the fruit. Concern that birds might spread this plant and that it might become weedy prompted the development of cultivars that have low fertility. They produce few berries with few fertile seeds. This species is not often found in the landscape. Commercially, plants may be listed as Rhaphiolepsis indica , but they are the hybrid R. x delacouri , which is a cross between R. indica and R. umbellata. It is often utilized in the coastal plains, as a specimen plant, in mass plantings, foundation planting, border planting, screens, containers, banks, or hedges. It works in a cottage, children’s, Asian or formal English gardens. Quick ID Hints: broadleaf evergreen, dense, rounded shrub, 4 to 6 feet tall and wide purplish-brown stems when young, grayish brown with age lanceolate to elliptical, leathery, serrate margins, simple, alternate, bronze to deep green leaves small white to pinkish carb-apple-like flowers in clusters from April to May bluish-black berries appear in the late summer and persist through winter Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: The shrub is susceptible to leaf spots, aphids, scale, fire blight, and nematodes. Entomosporium leaf spot is the most common disease of this shrub and is caused by a fungus known as Entomosporium mespili. Tiny, round, red spots will appear on both sides of the leaves when infected. Fungal diseases increase in shady, humid climates or after heavy rainfall in the spring and fall. To prevent leaf spots, it is best to use disease-resistant cultivars, provide good air circulation, plant in full sun, and use drip irrigation. Cold injury can occur in colder climates or during unseasonably cold winters. VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy, and Morphology,” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 67 attributes.