Fotina?

[Elaine]

Hi, I'm new here, and totally confused
My mother-in-law has a large tree in front of her house she calls a "fotina" or "fatina", but when I put it in my search engine, I get nothing, so we're obviously spelling it wrong.
Anyone know what it is? It's about 10 feet tall, with a very twisty and curvy trunk and stems, and smallish leaves.
The question we have is, how much can I safely cut off when pruning, and when is the best time to do this? It's really overgrown and has no shape whatsoever. When she bought it seventeen years ago, it was only 2 feet tall, and has had little or no pruning since then. I'd like to cut it back as much as possible without hurting the tree.
Any help greatly appreciated!

 

[treeclimber165]

I believe the spelling is photinia. Can't say much more on that right now, I'm having a 'brain fart'.

 

[Treeman14]

Photinia

Photinia are often kept as hedges here in FL. I suggest cutting off no more than one-third of the canopy at one time. This will reduce the chance of shock. It may take a couple of seasons to get it down to the height you want, but if you try to cut too much, it could die.
The best time to prune is after flowering or in spring before new growth starts.