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Loquat

Eriobotrya japonica · Rosaceae

9m

Mature height

7

Councils: no permit needed

0

Councils: exempt under a height limit

13

Councils: permit required

Loquat · typical mature form

Do you need a permit?

Loquat is exempt in some councils and protected in others, and several exemptions carry a height limit. Check the table below against the council for your address before assuming a permit is not needed.

How to identify it

Large leathery leaves with deep parallel veins and a rusty felted underside. Fragrant cream flowers in autumn, followed by clusters of orange yellow fruit in late winter and spring.

Where it grows in Sydney

A common self sown tree in back gardens and along fence lines across all of Sydney, particularly in the Inner West, Canterbury-Bankstown and Georges River.

Common problems

Self seeds heavily and naturalises in bushland
Fruit fall attracts rats, possums and fruit fly
Often grows in awkward positions against fences and buildings
Dense canopy shading small gardens

What removal involves

Exempt in Northern Beaches, Ku-ring-gai, Hornsby, Lane Cove, Strathfield, The Hills and Canterbury-Bankstown, and covered by general fruit tree exemptions in several others. Small scale work in most cases.

Council permit rules, council by council

Status below is for a tree on private land that has passed the council’s size threshold. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping and conditions of development consent override every exemption shown here.

Council

Status

What it means

Northern Beaches

No permit needed

On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules

No permit needed

On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules

No permit needed

On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules

The Hills Shire

No permit needed

On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules

Permit required

Council does not run a species exemption list. A permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold, and each tree is assessed on its own merits. Official rules

Permit required

Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules

Permit required

Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules

No permit needed

On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules

Permit required

Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules

Permit required

Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules

Permit required

Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules

Permit required

Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules

Permit required

Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules

Permit required

Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules

Permit required

Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules

Permit required

Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules

Permit required

Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules

No permit needed

On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules

Confirm with Council

Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. Official rules

Canterbury-Bankstown

No permit needed

On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules

Frequently asked questions

Is Loquat covered by the fruit tree exemption?

Yes in the councils that carry one, since it is an exotic fruit tree. It is also named individually on several exempt species lists including Northern Beaches, Ku-ring-gai and Lane Cove.

Commonly confused with

Both have large leathery leaves with a felted underside. Loquat fruits in spring, Magnolia has huge white flowers

Related species

Important note on council rules

This encyclopedia is a practical guide for Sydney property owners, not legal advice. Council tree rules change, and exemptions are frequently overridden by heritage listings, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping, endangered ecological communities and conditions attached to development consent. Always confirm the current rules with your council for your specific address before any tree work begins, or ask us to check it for you.

Photo by JMK via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Quick facts

Botanical name

Eriobotrya japonica

Also known as

Japanese Plum

Family

Rosaceae

Origin

China and Japan

Mature height

5m to 9m

Canopy spread

4m to 7m

Growth rate

Moderate

Foliage

Evergreen, large, leathery, deeply veined

Typical lifespan

50 years plus

Root habit

Moderate

Need council approval? We handle the application.

Most councils will not accept a removal application without species identification, photographs and a stated reason. We prepare and lodge the lot, then carry out the work once it is approved. One call, one invoice, no forms to work out yourself.