Leaf
Wouter Hagens, Wikimedia · Domaine public
Red robin
Photinia × fraseri Dress
Also known as: Fraser's photinia
Family: Rosaceae
About 4 to 6 m tall by 2.5 to 4 m wide
Ornamental shrub grown in gardens and parks. Prefers fertile, humus-rich, moist but free-draining soils, in sun or partial shade. Found in particular as a hedge, as a specimen or in mixed borders.
Flowering: April – May
Full sun
Part shade
-15°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Glossy green evergreen foliage, with very characteristic bright red young shoots in spring.
🍃 Leaves
Evergreen, simple, alternate, ovate to obovate, leathery and glossy. They are dark green at maturity, while the young shoots appear bright red to coppery red before gradually turning green. The leaf blade margin is finely toothed.
🌸 Flowers
Small white flowers with five petals, gathered in large terminal clusters. They appear in spring. Their scent can be rather strong and unpleasant.
🍎 Fruits
Small red berries appearing after flowering, generally in autumn. They are mainly ornamental and should not be eaten.
🪵 Bark
Smooth bark, greyish-brown to brownish on the twigs and older branches.
🗺️ Distribution
Garden hybrid between Photinia glabra and Photinia serratifolia. Of cultivated origin, it has no natural range of its own. It is now widely grown in temperate regions, notably in Europe and North America.
🐝 Value for pollinators
The spring flowers provide nectar and pollen for pollinating insects, notably bees and other flower-visiting insects.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Hedge
Screening plant
Privacy screen
Mixed border
Specimen planting
Ornamental shrub
Container growing
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Fruits not intended for consumption. They are considered ornamental and potentially harmful if ingested. Do not eat.
🌱 Known cultivars
Red Robin
The cultivar that made photinia popular throughout Europe: each new shoot is bright, glossy red before turning dark green, creating a permanent contrast throughout the growing season.
🌿 Other Rosaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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