Accession Count: 221
Common Name:
Indian hawthorne
Family Name:
Rosaceae
Botanical Name:
Rhaphiolepis indica
Sub Species:
Variety:
Forma:
Cultivar:
Characteristics:
Rhaphiolepis indica, commonly known as India hawthorn, is a dense, broad-leaved evergreen shrub that typically grows to four to six feet tall and wide. Serrate, oblong-lanceolate evergreen leaves two to three inches long. This species has fragrant, white to light pink flowers that are 1/2" wide in panicles, appearing in the Spring characterize this species (6). New leaf growth is also characterized by a bronze tints on deep green background. The plant produces glossy black berries (6).
Compound:
Rha ind
Geographic Origin:
Southeast Asia
Ecozone Origin:
Indomalaya
Biome Origin:
Natural History:
The India Hawthorn was a new plant in the 1980's. It swept through the nursery trade but was devastated by harsh winters for many years. It is native to southern China, Japan, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. It is a mainstay horticultural specimen in the southern United States. (4, 5)
Cultivation Notes:
Leaf spot can be troublesome. Watch for aphids, nematodes and scale. Susceptible to fireblight (1). Suitable for use in USDA Zones 8-10 in full sun with moist, well-drained soils where flowering will be best and leaf spot disease reduced (1). Established plants tolerate some drought, but prefer moderate moisture during hot months. The plant can be grown from seed by planting in a warm but shaded greenhouse location in early Spring (2). Seedlings can be transplanted into pots and grown on in the greenhouse through the first winter and then transplanted in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts (2). Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 2" with a heel grown in a greenhouse in Fall have also yielded fair results (2).
Ethnobotany:
The fruit, which is about 8mm in diameter, is deemed edible and is used as a source of dark blue, turquoise and purple dye (2). Plants are valued as a landscape ornamental as they can be pruned into a standard tree or kept as an informal hedge (2).
Height:
6 - 10 feet
Width:
6 - 10 feet
Growth Rate:
Moderate Growing
Grow Season:
Spring
Flower Season:
Spring
Color:
Pink
Function:
Screen
Spread:
Non-spreading
Allergen:
Non-allergenic
Invasive:
Benign
Toxicity:
Benign
Hardy:
Semi-hardy
Water Use:
Moderate Water Use
