Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Spermatophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Dicotyledonae
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Photinia
Species: Photinia davidiana
Synonym: Stranvaesia davidiana
Common name: Chinese stranvaesia, David's Photinia
Photinia davidiana is a species of fast-growing, evergreen shrub with a bushy habit. It is native to the west, central and south China, extending over the border to Vietnam. It has been introduced to many countries as a garden plant. In New Zealand, it was popular in the 1940s and 50's and now sporadically naturalised on Christchurch Port Hills and elsewhere in Canterbury.
Photinia davidiana has simple, alternate, dark green, leaves which are elliptic to lanceolate and are up to 12cm long and 4.5cm broad. The leaves margins are entire. New leaves emerge a dark, burgundy red in the spring. Before autumn some portion of older foliage inside the plant gains a bright carmine red or an orange colour. In the autumn the leaves at tips of the branches turn deep burgundy red again.
In spring Photinia davidiana has white, hermaphrodite flowers which are up to 1cm across. They appear as panicles which are up to 10cm across. The flowers are pollinated by insects.
In autumn flowering is followed by umbels of small red, pome fruit that persists.
It is a close relative to the garden shrub hybrid photinia “Red Robin”.
A tree growing wild west Canterbury.
Fruit just turning red. late February.
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
