Ampelopsis brevipedunculata
| Ampelopsis brevipedunculata | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 66' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Ampelopsis brevipedunculata (common name: porcelain berry)
Propagation: Seed - sow in pots in a cold frame in the autumn or stratify for 6 weeks at 5°c and sow in the spring[1]. Germination can be quite slow, sometimes taking more than a year. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. When they are more than 20cm tall, they can be planted out into their permanent positions, preferably in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 7 - 10cm long, July/August in a frame[2].
Cuttings or eyes in late autumn or winter. Either place them in the ground in a greenhouse or cold frame, or put them in pots. An eye cutting is where you have just one bud at the top and a short length of stem with a small part of the bark removed. These normally root well and grow away vigorously, being ready to plant into their permanent positions the following autumn.
Layering into pots in late summer. Partially sever the stem in spring and then lift the new plants in the autumn[2].
Cultivation: Prefers a deep rich loam in a warm sheltered position in full sun[3][1]. Succeeds in poor soils[4]. Does well on a south wall[3][5].
A very ornamental plant, there are some named varieties[4]. Most forms of this species, especially the sub-species A. brevipedunculata maximowiczii. (Reg.)Rehd. (syn A. heterophylla. Sieb.&Zucc.), are very hardy in Britain when dormant, but the cultivar 'Elegans' is frost-tender and usually grown as a pot plant[1]. The young growth in spring, even on mature plants, is frost-tender and so it is best to grow the plants in a position sheltered from the early morning sun[K].
Plants rarely fruit in Britain except after a long hot summer[1]. Another report says that if the plant is growing in a poor soil on a south facing wall then it fruits quite regularly[4]. Plants fruit better if their roots are restricted, this can be achieved by root pruning in the winter or by putting the plant into a large container and then placing this in the soil[1]. Growth, especially in good soils, can be very vigorous and this is usually at the expense of the fruits[6].
Any pruning is best carried out in the winter[5].
The shoots have sticky pads and are self-supporting on walls[3]. Other reports say that plants climb by means of coiling tendrils but large plants often need tying in to support the weight of foliage[1][5].
Range: E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea, E. Russia.
Habitat: Thickets in hills all over Japan[7].
Edibility: Leaf buds - cooked[8].
Leaves and stems - cooked[9][8][10].
Fruit - raw or cooked[8][10]. The fruit is 6 - 8mm in diameter[1] and is carried in small bunches like grapes[K]. Not very palatable[K].
Medicinal: The fresh fruits, roots and leaves are antiphlogistic, depurative and febrifuge. Resolves clots[11]. It is used externally in the treatment of boils, abscesses and ulcers, traumatic bruises and aches[11].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Monoecious
Also Known As: A. heterophylla amurensis. Cissus brevipedunculata.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Grey-Wilson, Christopher and Victoria Matthews. Gardening on Walls. Collins, 1983.
- ↑ Davis, Brian. Climbers and Wall Shrubs. Viking, 1990.
- ↑ Ohwi, Jisaburo. Flora of Japan. Smithsonian Institution, 1965.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.