Loquat

The loquat (Eriobotrya japonica), called biwa in Japan, is a large evergreen shrub or tree grown commercially for its orange fruit and for its leaves, which are used to make herbal tea. It is also cultivated as an ornamental plant.

This article is about a species of flowering plants called Japanese medlar. For other uses, see Medlar. For the band, see Loquat (band).

Loquat
Loquat leaves and fruits
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Eriobotrya
Species:
E. japonica
Binomial name
Eriobotrya japonica
Synonyms
  • Crataegus bibas Lour.
  • Mespilus japonica Thunb.
  • Photinia japonica (Thunb.) Benth. & Hook. f. ex Asch. & Schweinf.

The loquat is in the family Rosaceae and is native to the cooler hill regions of south-central China. In Japan, the loquat has been grown for over 1,000 years. It has been introduced to regions with subtropical to mild temperate climates throughout the world.

Eriobotrya japonica was formerly thought to be closely related to the genus Mespilus and is still sometimes mistakenly known as the Japanese medlar, which is the name it takes in other European languages, such as níspero japonés in Spanish or nespolo giapponese in Italian. It is also known as Japanese plum and Chinese plum.

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