Arctostaphylos pungens
| Arctostaphylos pungens | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-6.5 |
| Evergreen | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Arctostaphylos pungens (common name: pointleaf manzanita)
Propagation: Seed - best sown in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe. Pre-soak dried seed in boiling water for 10 - 20 seconds or burn some straw on top of them and then stratify at 2 - 5°c for 2 months[1][2]. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 3 months at 15°c[3]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame or greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer.
Cuttings of side shoots of the current season's growth, 5 - 8cm with a heel, August to December in a frame. The cuttings are very slow and can take a year to root[4][5].
Division in early spring. Take care because the plant resents root disturbance. Pot the divisions up and keep them in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are growing away actively.
Layering in spring[2].
Cultivation: Requires a deep moist well-drained light or medium lime-free loam in sun or semi-shade[6][1][7][2], but plants produce less fruit when they are grown in the shade[2].
This species is closely related to A. manzanita[1].
Plants resent root disturbance and should be placed in their final positions as soon as possible[1][3].
Range: Southern N. America - Mexico.
Habitat: Gravelly soils in sunny places in the Chaparral[8].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[9]. An agreeable acid flavour but the fruit is dry and mealy[10]. Hard to digest, the fruit should be eaten in moderation[10]. It can be dried and ground into a powder and then used as mush or as a flavouring in soups etc[9]. A cooling drink can be made from the fruit[11][9].
Medicinal: An infusion of the leaves is used in the treatment of diarrhoea[9]. An infusion is also used in the treatment of the rash caused by poison oak, Toxicodendron diversiloba[9].
Usage: A yellowish-brown dye is obtained from the leaves, it does not require a mordant[12].
The wood makes a good fuel, producing a long-lasting hot fire[9].
The hard wood has been used for making small tools, awl handles etc[9].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Rice, Graham. Growing from Seed Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan, 1988.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ Simmons, Alan. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles, 1972.
- ↑ Taylor, Jane. The Milder Garden. Dent, 1990.
- ↑ Pesman, M. Meet Flora Mexicana. Dale S King, 1962.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Saunders, Charles. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1976.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.