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Chinese Photinia

Photinia serrulata (foh-TIN-nee-uh ser-yoo-LAY-tuh)

Family: Rosaceae Unknown Understory (15-40 ft)

Drought tolerant; should not be used in small designs; flowers have offensive odor; can be grown as a small tree; most disease resistant photinia; fruit attracts birds; easy to transplant Form : Small tree or multistemmed shrub; broadly oval Growth Rate: Moderate to rapid

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 42 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

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.

Fills a similar niche Cornus mas Ilex cassine Viburnum davidii

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Shrub; Tree
USDA zones
6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry | Very Dry
Mature size
Height: 20 ft. 0 in. - 30 ft. 0 in. | Width: 15 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Vase
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Green; Purple/Lavender
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf feel
Leathery
Leaf size
> 6 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Lustrous dark green leaves; new leaves are apple green to bronze-tinged; reddish purple new leaves mature to dark green
Flower color
White
Flower size
> 6 inches
Flower detail
White flowers on 4-7 in. corymbs in spring;
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Pome
Fruit value
Edible
Fruit size
< 1 inch long
Fruit detail
0.2 in. red fruit in late summer to fall
Bark color
Black
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Wildlife value
Fruits are food source for birds
Attracts
Songbirds
Play value
Edible fruit; Wildlife Food Source
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Fruit
Harvest time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Pome
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Recreational Play Area
Landscape theme
Children's Garden; Edible Garden
Garden tags
#evergreen #children's garden #edible fruits #playground plant #hortcontest

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.