Information about plants & gardens for Brisbane & Qld

Rhaphiolepis

species, hybrids and cultivars

Other Common Name: Indian Hawthorn

Synonyms: sometimes spelled Raphiolepis

Family: Rosaceae

Raphiolepis are tough but pretty shrubs. Flowers have something of the look of cherry or apple blossom, look in shades of pink or white. s such Rhaphiolepis compliments a traditional cottage or English-influenced style garden.

Most types available in Australia are cultivars or hybrids of R. indica or R. x delacourii.

Berry-producing cultivars are frowned on in Queensland these days, for fear of them being spread by birds and becoming weeds. Trim immediately after flowering to prevent berry formation, or select a sterile cultivar. Unfortunately, information about berry formation on new varieties is difficult to find.

The old R. indica variety can reach almost the size of a small tree with sufficient age, but can be readily controlled by pruning, either as a bushy shrub or a trunked tree. Some selections tend to be naturally compact.

For example, 'Apple Blossom' is a pink-flowered variety which has been around for quite a long time and grows ~1-1.5 metres. By comparison, Raphiolepis Cosmic Pink™ is a relatively new pink cultivar, which the distributors say is naturally compact up to 80cm in size. Raphiolepis Cosmic White™ is larger (to ~2m) but is said to have larger flowers than usual.

'Springtime', 'Oriental Pearl', 'Spring Rapture', 'Little Bliss' are some other varieties you could investigate.

Rhaphiolepis was the featured plant in the 05-12-2025 edition of Get Results Gardening, a weekly publication for Australians via email. When you request a free trial (go calyx.com.au/getresultsgardening.html for more information), you can also ask for a copy of the 05-12-2025 edition if you want to see the Rhaphiolepis article (Australian residents only).