Bursaria spinosa
| Bursaria spinosa | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 15' |
| Blooms: | Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Bursaria spinosa (common name: christmas bush)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. It does not require pre-treatment. When large enough to handle, prick the plants out into individual pots. Grow on the young plants for at least the first winter in a greenhouse and plant out in late spring or early summer. Consider giving the plants some protection from winter cold for at least their first winter outdoors.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[1]. They require a little bottom heat if they are to root well[2].
Cultivation: Requires a well-drained moisture retentive soil in full sun[3].
This species only succeeds outdoors in Britain in the mildest areas of the country[4][5]. Plants are hardy to at least -7°c in Australian gardens[6], though this cannot be translated directly to British gardens due to our cooler summers and longer, colder and wetter winters. They require a warm south or south-west facing wall in Britain, succeeding in areas where frosts are light and short lived[3].
A good bee plant[7], the flowers are sweetly fragrant[1][2].
Very ornamental[8].
Range: Australia - New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria.
Habitat: Forests and open places, but avoiding arid areas[9], in loamy soils, stony hills and on riverbanks[10], probably at its best near the coast[7].
Medicinal: Skin. The leaves contain the coumarin 'aesculin' - this is used in the treatment of lupus by irradiation and as a screen from ultra-violet light in suntan lotions[9].
Usage: Leaves contain the coumarin 'aesculin' which is used in the treatment of lupus by irradiation and as an ultraviolet radiation screen in suntan lotions[9].
Plants can be grown as a hedge in mild climates[7].
Wood - tough, hard, close grained, easily worked. Used for tool handles, cabinet making etc[10].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Grey-Wilson, Christopher and Victoria Matthews. Gardening on Walls. Collins, 1983.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ Wrigley, John and Murray Fagg. Australian Native Plants. Collins, 1988.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Holliday, Ivan and Ron Hill. A Field Guide to Australian Trees. Frederick Muller, 1974.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Lassak, Erich and Tara McCarthy. Australian Medicinal Plants.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Ewart, Alfred. Recording Census of the Victorian Flora. 1923.