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Eriobotrya japonica - (Thunb.)Lindl.

Loquat

Author	(Thunb.)Lindl.	Botanical references	11, 74, 200
Family	Rosaceae	Genus	Eriobotrya
Synonyms	Mespilus japonica - Thunb. Photinia japonica - (Thunb.)Franch.&Sav.
Known Hazards	The seed is slightly poisonous. This report probably refers to the hydrogen cyanide that is found in many plants of this family, the seed should only be used in small amounts if it is bitter[K]. In small quantities, hydrogen cyanide has been shown to stimulate respiration and improve digestion, it is also claimed to be of benefit in the treatment of cancer. In excess, however, it can cause respiratory failure and even death.
Range	E. Asia - China, Japan.
Habitat	Not known in the wild[109].
Edibility Rating	4 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	3 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen Tree growing to 9m by 5m at a medium rate.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Secondary; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; South Wall By; West Wall By;

Cultivars: (as above except)
'Advance'

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit; Seed.

Edible Uses: Coffee.

Fruit - raw, cooked or preserved[46]. A slightly acid, sweet aromatic flavour[200], they can be eaten out of hand or cooked in pies, sauces, jellies etc[3]. Loquat pie, if made from fruit that is not fully ripe, is said to taste like cherry pie[183]. The fruit is produced in winter and early spring[132], it is up to 4cm in diameter[200]. A nutritional analysis is available[218]. Seed - cooked. A pleasant flavour[142]. Caution is advised if the seed is bitter, see notes at top of the page. The roasted seed is a coffee substitute[105, 177, 183].

Composition

Figures in grams (g) or miligrams (mg) per 100g of food.

Fruit (Dry weight)

• 360 Calories per 100g
• Water: 0%
• Protein: 3.6g; Fat: 3.2g; Carbohydrate: 90g; Fibre: 5.8g; Ash: 4g;
• Minerals - Calcium: 290mg; Phosphorus: 190mg; Iron: 4.3mg; Magnesium: 0mg; Sodium: 35mg; Potassium: 2650mg; Zinc: 0mg;
• Vitamins - A: 5000mg; Thiamine (B1): 0.18mg; Riboflavin (B2): 4.9mg; Niacin: 2.3mg; B6: 0mg; C: 7.84mg;
• Reference: [218]
• Notes: The figures given are the median of a range quoted in the report.

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Analgesic; Antibacterial; Antiemetic; Antitussive; Antiviral; Astringent; Diuretic; Expectorant; Sedative.

The loquat is one of the most popular cough remedies in the Far East, it is the ingredient of many patent medicines[238]. The leaves are analgesic, antibacterial, antiemetic, antitussive, antiviral, astringent, diuretic and expectorant[7, 116, 147, 176, 218, 279]. 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[7, 238]. The leaves are harvested as required and can be used fresh or dried[238]. The hairs should be removed from the leaves in order to prevent irritation of the throat[238]. The flowers are expectorant[218, 240]. The fruit is slightly astringent, expectorant and sedative[7, 240]. It is used in allaying vomiting and thirst[240].

Other Uses

Wood.

Wood - hard, close grained. Used for rulers etc[146].

Scented Plants

Flowers: Fresh

The flowers emit a most potent oriental perfume.

Cultivation details

Prefers a fertile well-drained soil in full sun or light shade[200]. Succeeds in any well-drained soil but dislikes too much lime[3]. Prefers to be near the coast, tolerating maritime exposure but dislikes cold winds[200]. Tolerates dry soils[200]. Succeeds in an open position in the milder areas of Britain but usually requires wall protection in most of this country[11, 59]. Plants are hardy to at least -5°c, and can survive to between -12 and -17°c but with some damage[200]. Plants from different provenances differ widely in their hardiness, it is best to obtain stock as cuttings from plants that are established in this country[219]. Trees usually only flower and produce fruit in Britain after a long hot summer[11, 202], but a tree at Maidwell Hall in Northants fruits regularly[11]. The main difficulty with producing a crop of fruit from this tree is that the plant flower in the winter and will not ripen fruit of a satisfactory standard if the winter is cold. Indeed, the fruit is rendered inedible by hard frosts in cold areas[200]. Often cultivated for its edible fruit in warm temperate regions, there are more than 800 cultivars in Japan[200]. 'Advance' is a dwarf tree with very juicy fruits[200]. The flowers emit a most potent oriental perfume[245].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold fame in the spring[200]. Pre-soak stored seed for 24 hours and sow late winter in a warm greenhouse[78, 113]. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 4 months at 20°c. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood with a heel, July/August in a frame[200]. Cuttings of softwood, spring in a frame[78]. Air layering[200].

Cultivars

'Advance'

Medium to large, pear-shaped to elliptic-round fruits, deep yellow in colour, borne in large compact clusters[183]. The skin is downy, thick and tough, the flesh whitish, translucent, melting and very juicy, the flavour sub-acid and very pleasant, the quality good[183]. Ripens mid-season[183]. The seeds are commonly 4 - 5 to a fruit, the seed cavity is not large[183]. This cultivar is a natural dwarf, growing about 1.5 metres tall[183]. It is highly resistant to pear blight[183]. Self-infertile, it requires a pollinator for fruit production[183]. 'Gold Nugget' is said to be a good pollinator[183].

'Gold Nugget'

The fruit has a sweet orange flesh[260].

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: Conservatory Plants.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[3] Simmons. A. E. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles 1972 ISBN 0-7153-5531-7
A very readable book with information on about 100 species that can be grown in Britain (some in greenhouses) and details on how to grow and use them.

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[59] Thurston. Trees and Shrubs in Cornwall. 0
Trees and shrubs that succeed in Cornwall based on the authors own observations. Good but rather dated.

[74] Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[109] Wilson. E. H. Plantae Wilsonae. 0
Details of the palnts collected by the plant collector E. H. Wilson on his travels in China. Gives some habitats. Not for the casual reader.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[116] Brooklyn Botanic Garden Oriental Herbs and Vegetables, Vol 39 No. 2. Brooklyn Botanic Garden 1986
A small booklet packed with information.

[132] Bianchini. F., Corbetta. F. and Pistoia. M. Fruits of the Earth. 0
Lovely pictures, a very readable book.

[142] Brouk. B. Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press 1975 ISBN 0-12-136450-x
Readable but not very comprehensive.

[146] Gamble. J. S. A Manual of Indian Timbers. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh 1972
Written last century, but still a classic, giving a lot of information on the uses and habitats of Indian trees. Not for the casual reader.

[147] ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press 0 ISBN 0-914294-92-X
A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.

[176] Yeung. Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, Los Angeles 1985
An excellent Chinese herbal giving information on over 500 species. Rather technical and probably best suited to the more accomplished user of herbs.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[202] Davis. B. Climbers and Wall Shrubs. Viking. 1990 ISBN 0-670-82929-3
Contains information on 2,000 species and cultivars, giving details of cultivation requirements. The text is terse but informative.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[219] Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. Gardening on Walls Collins 1983 ISBN 0-00-219220-0
A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[260] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.

[279] Medicinal Plants in the Republic of Korea World Health Organisation, Manila 1998 ISBN 92 9061 120 0
An excellent book with terse details about the medicinal uses of the plants with references to scientific trials. All plants are described, illustrated and brief details of habitats given.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Eriobotrya japonica

Eileen Cadman Thu Jun 21 2007

I have one of these that grows as a standard in my back garden, and this year it has produced a large amount of fruit. I've been picking them and eating them raw, and they're delicious. I don't know which cultivar it is, but the flesh is whitish, and it has several brown seeds. The tree is now about 12-15 feet high, so harvesting is an effort, but it's worth it. In previous years it only produced a very few fruits, and the birds and squirrels got them. This year I did! Last year I cut down the other trunk, to a height of about 2 feet, and it has produced lots of leaves this year. Maybe that has something to do with the larger harvest this year? Eileen, London, N19.

Eriobotrya japonica

Gillis Thu Jun 28 2007

I am located in Ghent, Belgium. Since about 20 years I do have an Eriobotrya japonica in my garden. Very few times I had flowers on the tree; this year however I have fruit on the tree. Probably due to the mild autumn and winter.

Eriobotrya japonica

Jan Karpisek Thu Nov 20 2008

Photo of a young loquat by Jan Karpisek for pfaf.org

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