JAPANESE

See also:

• PLUM

PLUM

See also:

• JAPANESE PLUM LOQUAT

LOQUAT  Or JAPANESE MEDLAR, known botanically as Eriobotrya japonica, small evergreen tree belonging to the natural order Rosaceae, with large thick oval-oblong leaves borne near the ends of the branches, and dark green above with a rusty tomentum on the lower face . The fruit ispear-shaped, yellow, about 12 in. long and contains large stony seeds; it has an agreeable acid flavour . The plant is a native of China and Japan, but is widely grown for its fruit and as a decorative plant . It is a familiar object in the Mediterranean region and in the southern United States .