Imagine a seed that sprouts in your garden without invitation, and within a few years, it reaches a height of 10 feet and produces 30 pounds of edible fruit. The fruit is yellow-orange with the texture of an apricot. Its taste is sweet to tart but always unpredictable. After all, fruit from a seedling tree is like Forrest Gump’s proverbial box of chocolates since “you never know what you’re gonna get.”
It’s always useful to keep in mind that when we buy a certain variety of fruit tree we are the beneficiaries of clonal propagation; that is, the fruit we harvest is coming from canopy growth (called a scion) that developed from a single bud of our selected variety that was grafted into a rootstock — typically a seedling in its first or second year of growth — that imparts vigor and disease resistance to the scion.
In any case, the tree in question is drought-tolerant and will easily subsist on a single weekly soaking or less when its shallow roots are covered with mulch. Mulch is also readily available, provided by the tree’s own slowly decomposing leaves, which fall throughout the year since this species is evergreen. If you have trouble falling asleep or have a variety of internal ailments, there is a bonus. Consumption of several fruit prior to bedtime has a soporific effect and dried leaves can be used to make a soothing medicinal tea.
The uncanny arboreal phenomenon I refer to is the loquat (Eriobotrya japonica), also known as Japanese plum because of its popularity in Japan. However, it is actually native to China, and its name means rush (lo) orange (quat), indicating a moist habitat where rushes and reeds are found. And so, yes, you can plant this tree next to a pond without fear of root rot.
If you have been a plant watcher for some time, you have probably encountered this tree somewhere in your neighborhood. It’s recognizable by the leaves, which are long, dark green, ribbed on top and fuzzy underneath. The reason you see loquat trees wherever you turn is because of birds, which have a passionate love for loquat fruit and excrete their seeds in front and backyards everywhere.
A mature loquat tree, given equal light on all sides, grows into an attractive symmetrical dome. Fragrant flowers are displayed mostly in the fall, but may also appear sparsely at other times of the year. Like several other fruit tree species, loquats tend to bear in alternate years. One year, the crop is so heavy that fruit must be thinned to avoid limb breakage. The next year, however, little or no fruit may appear.
To mitigate alternate bearing, thin the fruit as it develops in large clusters. Thinning to three fruit per cluster will not only provide a better chance for fruit the following year but may save branches from breaking under the heavy load of an unthinned crop. Another bonus of thinning is that the remaining fruit in each cluster will grow larger and sweeter. The reason they may be sweeter is that the carbohydrate formed in surrounding foliage during photosynthesis will be more concentrated when channeled to a few fruit as opposed to being distributed to many fruit in an unthinned cluster.
It is also important to mention that loquat varieties with white flesh are sweeter than those with orange flesh, the latter invariably appearing on volunteer trees. There are a number of mail-order nurseries from which you can order varietal loquats, such as willisorachards.com. Be careful, however, when ordering loquat trees that you find online. Many loquat trees are advertised as “seedlings” of a particular variety, whose quality will probably not produce fruit of the same quality as the mother tree. Verify that the varieties you acquire are grafted trees.
Early last month, Robert Ginn, a master gardener in Arcadia, sent me a photo of a massive crop of loquats hanging from a tree. Lucky for us, our orchards include a number of other fruits that ripen at this time of year, including many types of citrus, a number of avocado varieties, guavas and pomegranates. Richard Crowe, who gardens in Beaumont, has a pomegranate tree that has recently ripened 400 fruit.
Bronze loquat (Eriobotrya deflexa) is a striking ornamental tree. It grows quickly to 20 feet, but does have a consistent need for water, especially when young, so pay careful attention that soil does not go bone dry during its first year or two in the garden. After that, it is far less water-needy, but watering should never be neglected. Because of its dense growth, bronze loquat will benefit from annual pruning. This is also not a long-lived tree. gives little shade and its flowers, which bloom in the spring, are not as breathtaking as those seen on ornamental pears or plums.
So why plant it? The answer is found in the brilliant reddish bronze of its new foliage, visible throughout the year but especially following pruning, when rapid and significant regrowth results in lots of fiery foliage. You will not see such colors in the new growth of any other tree. Both loquat species are susceptible to fire blight, a disease caused by bacteria that enter flower nectaries if rain should fall during bloom. However, the loquat bloom time in the fall typically precedes California rain.
Speaking of trees that ripen their crops in winter, I must mention the saucer magnolia (Magnolia x soulangeana), although in this case, the crop is flowers. During the first week in January this year, I noticed two of these trees in my neighborhood were already in full bloom. No matter your mood, your soul will brighten at the sight of a saucer magnolia in this condition. Its pink-to-purple flowers are fresher, cleaner, and more refined than those of any other tree. The deciduous saucer magnolia’s floral display is enhanced by the fact that flowering takes place when the tree is still leafless. In this state, you see what looks like, at the moment of anthesis (when flowers open), hundreds of brilliantly burning lamps on an arboreal candelabrum. The flowers as they first open have also been compared to tulips, goblets, and water lilies. A few days later, as petals lay down flat, the flowers do briefly take on the look of saucers.
Actually, it is only the exterior of magnolia petals that has color; the interior of the petals is white, so that when they drop to the ground and distribute themselves evenly around the base of the tree, they could be mistaken for a thin layer of freshly fallen snow.
California native of the week: I want to thank Merrilee Fellows for informing me that the genus name of monkey flowers has been changed from Mimulus to Erythranthe. This genus contains 120 species, and many of them are not drought-tolerant but demand moist soil, with some growing in shallow water. Seep Monkey Flower (Erythranthe guttata) is an excellent pond plant with leaves that float on the water surface. Its roots expand aggressively and it self-sows in its aqueous environment. You will be pleased with its light green leaves and brilliant yellow flowers. However, its rapid growth may necessitate thinning it out from time to time in an ornamental pond environment.
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