2596 



PHOTINIA 



PHOTINIA 



Closely allied to the Aria group of Sorbus, which differs 

 chiefly in the top of the fr. being solid and pointed. 



The photinias in cultivation are shrubs, rarely trees, 

 with rather large evergreen or smaller deciduous leaves 

 turning scarlet or deep red in fall and with white flowers 

 in many-flowered or sometimes few-flowered corymbs 

 followed by very attractive red or scarlet fruits. The 

 evergreen species are tender in New England, and bear 

 only a few degrees of frost; but the deciduous P. vittosa 

 is hardy as far north as Massachusetts, and is very con- 

 spicuous in fall by the scarlet coloring of the foliage 

 and afterward by the numerous scarlet fruits, which 

 retain their bright color until midwinter and are not 

 eaten by birds. Of the evergreen species, P. arbutifolia, 

 which is very similar to P. serrulata and also to P. 

 glabra, is the best known; it is a very striking object in 

 winter, with its large clusters of bright red fruit ripen- 

 ing in December and contrasting well with the glossy 

 dark green foliage. The photinias are not very particu- 

 lar as to soil, but thrive best in a rather light sandy 

 loam, and the deciduous ones prefer sunny positions. 

 Propagation is by seeds or by cuttings of half-ripened 

 wood under glass and by layers; also by grafting on 

 hawthorn or quince. 



A. Lvs. deciduous: fls. in corymbs or umbels. (Pourthiaea.) 

 villdsa, DC. (P. varidbilis, Hemsl. Pourthiaea vil- 

 Idsa, Decne. Sorbus termindlis, Hort.). Upright shrub, 

 to 15 ft., with slender spreading or upright branches, 

 or small tree: Ivs. short-petioled, broadly obovate to 

 oblong, cuneate, acuminate, sharply serrate, dark green 

 and glabrous above, more or less pubescent beneath 

 when young, l>-3 in. long: fls. white, in l>^-2-m.- 

 broad, glabrous or villous corymbs terminal on short 

 lateral branchlets: peduncles warty : fr. about J^in. long, 

 bright scarlet. June; fr. in Oct. Japan, China. G.F. 

 1:67. S.I. F. 1:49. A very variable species. Var. 

 l&vis, Dipp. (P. Ixvis, DC. Pourthiaea arguta, 

 Hort.), Fig. 2923, has narrower Ivs., only sparingly 

 pubescent when young and soon glabrous, glabrous 

 infl. and somewhat larger fr. G.F. 4:377 (adapted in 

 Fig. 2923). Var. sinica, Rehd. & Wilson. Shrub or tree, 

 to 30 ft.: Ivs. thinner, elliptic or elliptic-oblong, spar- 

 ingly pubescent at first, soon glabrous: infl. an umbel- 

 like 5-8-fld. raceme, rarely corymbose, to 15-fld., loosely 

 villous. Cent. China. 



subumbellata, Rehd. & Wilson. Slender-branched 

 shrub, 3-10 ft.: Ivs. very short-stalked, elliptic-ovate 

 to rhombic-ovate, acuminate, broadly cuneate or 

 rounded at the base, sharply serrulate, glabrous, bright 

 green above, pale or glaucescent beneath, lM-2}^ in. 

 long: fls. in umbel-like 2-9-fld. glabrous racemes sub- 

 tended by 2-3 crowded lys. ; pedicels slender, J^-l in. 

 long: fr. ovoid, nearly ^in. long, scarlet. May, June; 

 fr. in Oct. Cent. China. 



AA. Lvs. evergreen: fls. in broad panicles. 

 B. Stamens 20. (Euphotinia.) 



c. Petioles longer than %in. : Ivs. usually 4~6 in. long. 



serrulata, Lindl. (P. glabra var. chinensis, Maxim. 

 Cratsegus glabra, Sims, not Thunb.). Shrub, to 20 ft., 

 quite glabrous: winter buds about J^in. across, ovoid: 

 Ivs. with about l-in.-long petioles, oblong, usually 

 rounded at the base, acuminate, serrulate, dark green 

 and shining above, yellowish green beneath, 5-7 in. 

 long; petioles about 1 in. long: panicles 4^6 in. broad, 

 with thickish and slightly angular branches; fls. J^in. 

 across: fr. globose, J^in. across, red. May- July. China. 

 B.M. 2105. L.B.C. 3:248. L.D. 8:554 (all as Cratsegus 

 glabra). G.W. 15, p. 247. Stands fairly well in Wash- 

 ington, D. C. 



Davidsoniae, Rehd. & Wilson. Tree, to 45 ft. : winter 

 buds minute, acutish: branchlets appressed-pubescent 

 while young: Ivs. oblong-lanceolate or oblong, acumi- 

 nate or acute cuneate at the base, serrulate, lustrous 

 and bright green above, paler beneath and pubescent on 



the veins at first, soon glabrous, 3-5 in. long; petioles 

 about %in. long: panicles 4-5 in. broad with slender 

 terete branches, sparingly pubescent; fls. nearly %in. 

 broad: fr. subglobose, orange-red, Min. across or 

 slightly more. May: fr. in Oct. Cent. China. One of 

 the handsomest evergreen trees of Cent. China; recently 

 intro. ; probably as hardy as the preceding species. 



cc. Petioles shorter than %in,: Ivs. usually 2-8 in. long. 

 glabra, Maxim. (Crattegus glabra, Thunb. Sdrbus 

 glabra, Zabel). Shrub, to 8 ft.: Ivs. on nearly J^in.-long 

 petioles, elliptic or obovate to oblong-obovate, cuneate 

 at the base, acuminate, serrulate, 2-3% in. long: pani- 

 cles 2-4 in. across; fls. H m - across: fr. subglobose, red. 

 May-July. China, Japan. S.I.F. 1:47. 



BB. Stamens 10. (Heteromeles.) 



arbutifdlia, Lindl. (Heterdmeles arbutifolia, Roem. 

 H. salicifolia, Abrams. Cratiegus arbutifolia, Ait., not 

 Lam.). TOYON. TOLLON. Shrub or small tree, to 20 ft. : 



2923. Photinia villosa var. laevis. ( X %) 



young branches and infl. usually tomentulose: Ivs. 

 oblong to oblong-lanceolate, acute at both ends, sharply 

 serrate, shining above, 2-4 in. long: fls. white, in 2-5-in. 

 broad panicles; stamens 10: fr. bright red, %in. across. 

 June, July; fr. in Nov.-Feb. Calif. S.S. 3:193. B.R. 

 491. Called Christmas berry in Calif., where the frs. 

 are much used for Christmas decoration. 



P. amphidSxa, Rehd. & Wilson (Stranvsesia amphidoxa, 

 Schneid.). Shrub, to 10 ft.: Ivs. deciduous, elliptic to oblong, ser- 

 rate, loosely tomentose at first, soon glabrous, 2-3 % in. long: fls. 

 3-6; calyx densely tomentose: fr. subglobose, scarlet, J^in. across. 

 Cent. China. P. argiiia. Wall. (Pourthiaa arguta, Decne.). Closely 

 allied to P. villosa: Ivs. longer and narrower, firmer, densely white- 

 tomentose beneath when young: corymbs larger. Himalayas. P. 

 BeauterdiAna, Schneid. Shrub or small tree, to 20 ft.: Ivs. decidu- 

 ous, oblong or obovate-oblong, densely serrulate, glabrous, 2)^-4 

 in. long: corymbs 2 in. across: fr. subglobose, scarlet, Min. across. 

 Cent. China. Var. notdbilis, Rehd. & Wilson (P. notabilis, 

 Schneid.). Lvs. elliptic to obovate-oblong, 3-5 in. long: corymbs 

 loose, 3-4 in. across: fr. ovoid, Jim- long. Cent. China. P. elliplica, 

 Nichols., is Eriobotrya elliptica, Lindl., a Himalayan species not in 

 cult, in this country. P. japdnica, Nichols. =Eripbotrya japonica. 

 P. parmfdlia, Schneid. Shrub, to 6 ft.: Ivs. elliptic, long-acumi- 

 nate, serrulate, nearly glabrous, 1^-2 in. long: fls. 2-3 on filiform 

 stalks 1-2 in. long: fr. ovoid, scarlet, Hin- long. 



ALFRED REHDEB. 



