Notice

Colin Mills, compiler of the Hortus Camdenensis, died in late November 2012 after a short illness. As he always considered the Hortus his legacy, it is his family's intention to keep the site running in perpetuity. It will not, however, be updated in the near future.

Rhaphiolepis indica (L.) Lindl.

Half-hardy, bushy, spreading, evergreen shrub with glossy, deeply-toothed, lance-shaped leaves, to 11cm long, and loose racemes of white flowers, to 1.5cm across, in spring and summer.  To 1.5m.  Useful for hedging in frost-free areas.  [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’].

Horticultural & Botanical History

Raphiolepis is proposed by Mr. Lindley in an unpublished tract on Pomaceae, the first section of Jussieu’s Order of Rosaceae.  The character was kindly communicated to us from the author’s manuscript. […] A Chinese plant.  Introduced by Mr. James Drummond in 1806.  Said by Loureiro to grow to a large tree, the wood of which is of a reddish hue, heavy and tough, and applicable to various economical purposes.  The Haw or fruit is eatable.  Mr. Lindley thinks that the Crataegus rubra of Loureiro is another species of this genus.  The drawing was taken from a plant which blossomed in April last in the greenhouse at the botanical garden of the Horticultural Society near Hammersmith, an establishment which, under its present liberal and judicious superintendence, promises to become a valuable depository of curious and useful vegetables.’  [BR f.468/1820 as Rhaphiolepis indica].  BM t.1726/1815 as Crataegus indica.

History at Camden Park

Listed only in the 1857 catalogue [T.818/1857].

Notes

Also Raphiolepis.

Published Feb 05, 2010 - 05:22 PM | Last updated Jul 30, 2010 - 05:32 PM

Figured are toothed leaves and loose raceme of white, pink-flushed flowers.  Curtis's Botanical Magazine t.1726, 1815.

Rhaphiolepis indica (L.) Lindl. | BM t.1726/1815 | BHL

Family Rosaceae
Category
Region of origin

China

Synonyms
  • Crataegus indica L.
Common Name

Indian hawthorn

Name in the Camden Park Record

Raphiolepis indica 

Confidence level high