Photinia x Fraseri (Red Tip Photinia) 紅要黐（ベニカナメモチ）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

They're the flowers of Photinia x fraseri or more commonly known as red tip photinia or Red Robin. I enjoyed its bright red young leaves in early April but didn't expect to be able to enjoy such tiny flowers, too. The red color of the leaves has faded a little (click here to see the leaves before changing the color!), which made me feel a bit sad... 

If you’re interested in why the young leaves and buds of some plants are bright red, read this post!

Red tip photinia ベニカナメモチ

Photinia x fraseri 紅要黐

Photinia x Fraseri (Red Tip Photinia) 紅要黐（ベニカナメモチ）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

They're the young leaves of Photinia x fraseri or more commonly known as red tip photinia or Red Robin. I first ignored the leaves because they were too bloody red (scary!) but became unable to do so because they're too red to ignore!

Young leaves and buds are red for a reason. According to Professor Kunijiro Yoshitama at Kumamoto University, the fresh shoots and young leaves of some plants are red because of the following reasons:

1. The temperature of red leaves is higher than that of green leaves.
2. The red pigment in leaves (i.e., anthocyanin) is antibacterial and prevents larvae.
3. The red pigment in leaves (i.e., anthocyanin) promotes the development of chloroplast while protecting the plastid from ultraviolet rays.

Photinia x Fraseri 紅要黐