Rhaphiolepis
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 in the Landscape
![rhaphiolepis_berries](gal/rhaphiolepis/rhaphiolepis_common_3_preview.jpg)
![rhaphiolepis berries](gal/rhaphiolepis/rhaphiolepis_berries_1_preview.jpg)
Examples of common, old-fashioned Rhaphiolepis, as seen in Brisbane. Flowering season is late August/September.
A pink-flowered cultivar, possibly 'Apple Blossom' (Brisbane, early September, 2016)
![Rhaphiolepis Snow Maiden](gal/rhaphiolepis/rhaphiolepis_snow_maiden_3_preview.jpg)
Rhaphiolepis 'Snow Maiden'
![rhaphiolepis_unknown variety](gal/rhaphiolepis/rhaphiolepis_unknown1_3_preview.jpg)
Unidentified variety
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