Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl.


Family: ROSACEAE
Sub-Family: Not available
English Name: Japanese Medlar
Synonym: Mespilus japonica Thunb.
Common Name: Loquat, Chinese medlar
Flowering & Fruiting Period: September-January
Distribution: China and Japan
Habitat: Cultivated in the High Ranges
Uses: Fruit edible - raw, cooked or preserved. A slightly acid, sweet aromatic flavour, Loquat pie, if made from fruit that is not fully ripe, is said to taste like cherry pie they can be eaten out of hand or cooked in pies, sauces, jellies etc. Loquat pie, if made from fruit that is not fully ripe, is said to taste like cherry pie. The roasted seed is a coffee substitute. The loquat is one of the most popular cough remedies in the Far East, it is the ingredient of many patent medicines. The leaves are analgesic, antibacterial, antiemetic, antitussive, antiviral, astringent, diuretic and expectorant. A decoction of the leaves or young shoots is used as an intestinal astringent and as a mouthwash in cases of thrush and also in the treatment of bronchitis, coughs, feverish colds etc. The fairly dense crown, and compact trunk, make this species useful for shade and as a windbreak. The wood is hard, medium-weight to heavy. It has very little tendency to split or check, and takes a good polish. It is suitable for poles and posts, carving and drawing materials such as rulers, and is in demand for making stringed musical instruments. The wood is used for fuel.
Key Characteristics: Trees up to 8 m high, older stems with prominent leaf scars. Leaves crowded near branch tips; dark green and glossy above. Inflorescence of many flowers. Petals white or ivory, oblong. Fruit pyriform to broadly ellipsoid-oblong or subglobose.