Rhaphiolepis ( or ;) is a genus of about fifteen species of
evergreen shrubs and small
trees in the family
Rosaceae, native to warm temperate and subtropical eastern and southeastern
Asia, from southern
Japan, southern
Korea and southern
China south to
Thailand and
Vietnam. In searching literature it is well to remember that the name commonly is misspelt "Raphiolepsis". The genus is closely related to
Eriobotrya (
loquats), so closely in fact, that members of the two genera have hybridised with each other; for example the "Coppertone loquat" is a hybrid of
Eriobotrya deflexa X
Rhaphiolepis indica. The common name
hawthorn, originally specifically applied to the related genus
Crataegus, now also appears in the common names for some
Rhaphiolepis species. For example
Rhaphiolepis indica often is called "Indian hawthorn", and
Rhaphiolepis umbellata, "Yeddo hawthorn".