Japanese photinia

Photinia serratifolia is an evergreen shrub or small tree of the rose family, growing to about 4-12 metres tall, native to China, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines and parts of Southeast Asia. It bears stout, spreading branches and large, leathery, oblong to oblanceolate leaves up to 22 cm long with finely serrate (saw-toothed) margins; the young foliage flushes coppery-red before maturing to glossy dark green. Numerous small white flowers, each with five rounded petals, are produced in large terminal corymbs in spring and have a somewhat heavy fragrance. These are followed by small, globose red pomaceous fruits about 5-6 mm across that ripen in autumn and persist into winter. The species grows in mixed forests, thickets, on slopes and along forest margins, and is widely cultivated as an ornamental and hedge plant. Its foliage is cyanogenic and can release hydrogen cyanide when bruised.