''Photinia serratifolia'' (syn. ''Photinia serrulata''), commonly called Taiwanese photinia or Chinese photinia is a flowering shrub or tree in the

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s family

Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a medium-sized family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus ''Rosa''. Among the most species-rich genera are ''Alchemilla'' (270), ''Sorbus ...

, found in mixed forests of China, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, and India. Photinia serratifolia in Tonglingshan

Description

The tree is

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

, with white flowers emerging in Spring accompanied by red-colored leaves, and red fruits growing in Autumn. It grows typically , sometimes up to , tall. Its leaves are toxic due to the presence of

cyanogenic glycosides In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to another functional group via a glycosidic bond. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides ...

. The flower, blossoming in spring, typically lasts for one to two weeks. Its flowers are known to have a strong scent similar to that of human

semen Semen, also known as seminal fluid, is an organic bodily fluid created to contain spermatozoa. It is secreted by the gonads (sexual glands) and other sexual organs of male or hermaphroditic animals and can fertilize the female ovum. Semen i ...

. The flower have bell-shaped

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

split into five lobes, and around 20

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

Ovary The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body. ...

contain two to four

locule A locule (plural locules) or loculus (plural loculi) (meaning "little place" in Latin) is a small cavity or compartment within an organ or part of an organism (animal, plant, or fungus). In angiosperms (flowering plants), the term ''locule'' usu ...

s, with one

ovule In seed plants, the ovule is the structure that gives rise to and contains the female reproductive cells. It consists of three parts: the ''integument'', forming its outer layer, the ''nucellus'' (or remnant of the megasporangium), and the fe ...

in each locule. The tree produces high amount of bright, red colored fruits that are small

pome In botany, a pome is a type of fruit produced by flowering plants in the subtribe Malinae of the family Rosaceae. Well-known pomes include the apple, pear, and quince. Etymology The word ''pome'' entered English in the late 14th century, and re ...

s with diameters ranging from , each containing one to four seeds. The fruit, ripen in Autumn and survives through winter, is a food source to various kinds of birds, including

thrush ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a secret ...

es,

waxwing The waxwings are three species of passerine birds classified in the genus ''Bombycilla''. They are pinkish-brown and pale grey with distinctive smooth plumage in which many body feathers are not individually visible, a black and white eyestripe, ...

s, and

starling Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The Sturnidae are named for the genus ''Sturnus'', which in turn comes from the Latin word for starling, ''sturnus''. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, ...

s. The seeds spread primarily through bird excretions.

Distribution and habitat

The tree is typically found at altitudes from sea level to . It is found in mixed forests of central and southern China, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, and India.

Varieties

Three varieties of the species are recognized in the ''Flora of China'': * ''Photinia serratifolia'' var. ''ardisiifolia''. Narrow leaf variant native to Taiwan, typically found around 850m altitude. Leaves are

obovate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...

(reverse ovate), ellipse-shaped, and leathery in texture. * ''Photinia serratifolia'' var. ''daphniphylloides''. Wide leaf variant native to Taiwan. Leaves are

elliptic In mathematics, an ellipse is a plane curve surrounding two focal points, such that for all points on the curve, the sum of the two distances to the focal points is a constant. It generalizes a circle, which is the special type of ellipse in ...

or long obovate. * ''Photinia serratifolia'' var. ''lasiopetala''. Native to Taiwan. Leaves are obovate, slender, or spoon-shaped.

Uses

The tree is widely used as a

greening Greening is the process of transforming living environments, and also artifacts such as a space, a lifestyle or a brand image, into a more environmentally friendly version (i.e. 'greening your home' or 'greening your office'). The act of greenin ...

plant in some mainland Chinese cities, due to the relative ease to plant and maintain, and the tree being less demanding for its surrounding environments. In

Wuhan Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei, Hubei Province in the China, People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the List of cities in China ...

, where the tree is in its native range, the tree is planted by the sides of all major avenues, as well as in the

Wuhan University Wuhan University (WHU; ) is a public research university in Wuhan, Hubei. The university is sponsored by the Ministry of Education. Wuhan university was founded as one of the four elite universities in the early republican period of China and i ...

. However, due to the strong, semen-like odor from its flowers filling the entire city in Spring, some Wuhan residents have complained that the tree should be removed and other trees should be planted instead.

References

* * {{taxonbar , from=Q5220976 serratifolia Trees of China Flora of India (region) Trees of Japan Trees of Malesia Trees of Taiwan