Pourthiaea villosa Play pronunciation

Christmas Berry is a flowering, deciduous shrub or small tree in the rose family and native to the Far East. At maturity, it has an irregular, oval crown and, unless trained as a tree, will reach a height of 15 feet with an equal spread. In spring, the plant produces tinted bronze leaves and showy, white blossoms. The leaves are green in summer, but turn yellow, orange and red in fall. The red fruit attracts birds and persists on the plant through winter (thus, the common name, Christmas Berry). The genus name is greek for "shining" in reference to the shiny leaves of some species. The species name is Latin for soft hairs in reference to the hairy leaf undersides.

Christmas Berry does best in average, moist, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Once established, it will be somewhat drought tolerant, but you should avoid wet soils. Water at the roots to avoid getting water on the leaves. This plant requires a site with good air circulation and should be pruned in winter to thin out the branches and create better air circulation.

In optimum growing conditions, this shrub will spread rapidly by self-seeding to form colonies.

Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems:

Susceptible to fire blight and photinia leaf spot disease. Photinia leaf spot can be problematic in the hot and humid climates of the USDA Zones 8 and 9.