Brisbane tree guide

Loquat tree

Eriobotrya japonica · also called Japanese medlar, Japanese plum

The loquat tree is an evergreen fruit tree from eastern Asia, grown in backyards for its clusters of sweet orange-yellow fruit in spring. It flowers in autumn, with fragrant white blooms among big, leathery, rusty-backed leaves. Birds spread its seed into bushland and along creeks, so Brisbane City Council includes it on its weed list, although there is no legal requirement attached.

Exotic
On Brisbane's weed list
3 to 10 m tall
Flowers March to May

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A loquat tree laden with fruit — Photo: George E. Koronaios, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Loquat at a glance

Height: 3 to 10 m
Leaves: Evergreen
Flowers: White, March to May
Origin: Eastern Asia: China, Japan and Taiwan
Family: Rosaceae

How to identify a loquat

An evergreen tree, often small but able to reach about 10 metres. The leaves are the giveaway: stiff and leathery, 10 to 30 cm long, glossy dark green on top with sunken veins that make them look ribbed, rusty and woolly underneath, and coarsely toothed. New shoots are covered in rusty hairs. Fragrant white flowers about 1 cm across open in dense, branched clusters in autumn. Round to pear-shaped yellow or orange fruit 3 to 4 cm long follows in spring, each holding one or two large seeds.

Growing a loquat in Brisbane

Loquats grow readily in south-east Queensland, flowering in autumn and ripening fruit in spring, which makes them a familiar backyard fruit tree. They are also one of the region's more widespread garden escapes: the Environmental Weeds of Australia key ranks loquat among the 200 most important invasive plants in south-east Queensland, and it has naturalised in dry eucalypt forest and along creeks, including the Gold Coast's Tugun Hill Conservation Area. Keep trees well away from bushland.

What to watch out for

Loquat is on Brisbane City Council's weed list, with no legal requirement attached, because birds and other animals carry the seed into bushland, where it can form tall stands that push out native plants. Remove seedlings early and avoid planting near creeks or bush. The fruit is a host of Queensland fruit fly, so pick it promptly and don't leave fallen fruit lying under the tree.

Seedlings. Birds and other animals eat the fruit and spread the seed into bushland and along creeks, where seedlings can grow into stands that crowd out native plants.
Falling fruit. Loquat is a host of Queensland fruit fly, and Business Queensland advises not letting fallen fruit build up under trees.

Pruning and care

A light prune after harvest keeps a loquat low enough to pick and net, and opening up the centre lets in light. Remove dead, crossing or crowded branches rather than shearing the whole canopy. Pick fruit as it ripens and clear fallen fruit promptly, because loquat is a host of Queensland fruit fly and maggots develop in the fruit. Pull out seedlings that appear around the garden. Big limbs over the house or fence are a job for a qualified arborist.

Loquat: your questions

Short answers, from the sources below.

Back to the tree guide

Is loquat a weed in Queensland?

Brisbane City Council includes loquat on its weed list, though with no legal declaration or requirement attached. It is a widespread environmental weed in south-east Queensland because birds and other animals spread its seed into bushland.

When do loquats fruit in Brisbane?

Loquats flower in autumn and the fruit ripens the following spring. Pick it as it turns yellow-orange and clear any fallen fruit, because loquat is a host of Queensland fruit fly.

How big does a loquat tree grow?

A loquat tree can reach about 10 metres, though Brisbane City Council's weed data classes it as a shrub, and regular pruning after harvest keeps it to a pickable size.

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Sources and credits

Photo: George E. Koronaios, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Checked October 2026. Weed listings and council rules change: check the council's and the Queensland Government's pages before you act.