Eriobotrya Lindley
Eriobotrya is a genus with ca. 30 species (much less according to some authors) in southern and southeastern Asia. Its center of diversity probably lies in China where about half of the species are found, three of them endemic (Cuizhi & Spongberg 2003). All species are shrubs or trees and some are cultivated as ornamentals, for timber or fruit. In European gardens at least four species are known to be grown (Mitchem 1995), especially in the warmer parts of Europe, but probably only one, E. japonica (Thunb.) Lindl. (so-called ‘loquat’), is more or less widely cultivated. This species has been recorded in Belgium as well. All species that are grown in Europe, however, are much alike, genetically related and their identity should be checked. They are mostly distinguished on rather subtle characters like leaf stalk length and density of lower leaf surface indumentum (see Mitchem 1995). Natural hybrids between some of them have been recorded (Fan & al. 2014, Ding & al. 2015).
Literature:
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Ding M., Fan Q., Guo W., Shi S. & Liao W. (2015) Valid publication of the name Eriobotrya × daduheensis (Malinae, Rosaceae). Phytotaxa 212(1): 95-98. [available online at: http://www.mapress.com/j/pt/article/viewFile/phytotaxa.212.1.5/3911]
Fan Q., Chen S., Li M., Guo W., Jing H., Wu W., Zhou R., Liao W. (2014) Molecular evidence for natural hybridization between wild loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) and its relative E. prinoides. BMC Plant Biol. 14. [available online at: http://bmcplantbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12870-014-0275-6]
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Li P., Lin S.Q., Yang X.H., Hu G.B. & Jang Y.M. (2009) Molecular Phylogeny of Eriobotrya Lindl. (Loquat) Inferred from Internal Transcribed Spacer sequences of Nuclear Ribosome. Pak J. Bot. 41(1): 185-193. [available online at: http://www.pakbs.org/pjbot/PDFs/41(1)/PJB41(1)185.pdf]
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Mitchem C.M. (1995) Eriobotrya. In: Cullen J. & al. (eds.), The European Garden Flora, vol. 4. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 420-421.
Tang B. (1997) A study of the sibship among Eriobotrya japonica Lindl., E. prinoides Rehd. & Wils. var. daduheensis H. Z. Zhang and E. prinoides Rehd.& Wils. Journal of Chongqing Teachers College (Natural Science Edition) 14: 18-25. [available online at: http://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTOTAL-CQSF703.004.htm]
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Vilanova S., Badenes M.L. & Marinez-Calvo J. (2001) Analysis of loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl) germplasm by RAPD molecular markers. Euphytica 121: 25-29.
Xinaghui Y., Ping L., Zhike Z., Shunquan L., Guibin H. & Xiaolong H. (2015) A Preliminarily Phylogeny Study of the Eriobotrya Based on the nrDNA Adh Sequences (2012) Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca 40(2): 233-237. [available online at: http://www.notulaebotanicae.ro/index.php/nbha/article/viewFile/7997/7036]
Yan J., Wang Y.Q., Luo N. & Lyu X.L. (2011) Genetic Relationship Analysis among Oakleaf Loquat, Daduhe Loquat and Common Loquat Based on Morphologic Traits. Botany Research Journal 4(2): 23-25.
Yang X.H. (2005) A systematic study of the genus Eriobotrya. Doctoral dissertation of South China Agric Univ: 99 p.
Yang X.H., Glakpe K., Lin S.Q., Hu Y.L., He Y.H., Nguyen T.C.N., Liu Y.X., Hu G.B. & Liu C.M. (2005) Taxa of plants of genus Eriobotrya around the world and native to Southeastern Asia. J. Fruit Sci. 22: 55-59. [available online at: http://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTOTAL-GSKK200501012.htm]
Yang X.H., Liu C.M. & Lin S.Q. (2007) The genetic relationship among Common loquat, Daduhe loquat and Oakleaf loquat, according to RAPD and AFLP analysis. Subtropical Plant Science 36: 9-12.
Zhang H.Z., Peng S.A., Cai L.H. & Fang D.Q. (1990) The Germplasm Resources of the Genus Eriobotrya with Special Reference on the Origin of E. japonica Lindl.. Acta Horticulturae Sinica 17: 5-13.