Callicarpa americana
| Callicarpa americana | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 6' |
| Speed: | Slow |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Callicarpa americana (common name: american beautyberry)
Propagation: Seed - sow February in a greenhouse[1]. Only just cover the seed[2]. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 3 months at 18°c[2]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter, planting them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood 10cm long, July/August in a frame. High percentage[1].
Cuttings of mature wood of the current season's growth with a heel[1] taken in early spring[3].
Cultivation: Requires a sunny position or light dappled shade[4][3]. Prefers a highly fertile well-drained loamy soil[3].
This species is hardy to about -18°c according to one report[3] whilst another says that it is only really hardy in the milder parts of Britain, though some forms should prove to be hardier[4].
Requires cross-pollination for good fruit production[5].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[3].
Range: South-eastern N. America - Florida to Texas and north to Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Habitat: Rich woods and thickets[6].
Edibility: Fruit - raw[7][8]. Juicy, sweet, fleshy, slightly aromatic[9]. The fruit is about 6mm in diameter[3].
Medicinal: A decoction of the root bark has been used as a diuretic[10].
The leaves are a cure for dropsy[11].
A tea made from the roots is used in the treatment of dysentery and stomach aches[12][10].
A tea made from the roots and berries is used in the treatment of colic[12][10].
Some native North American Indian tribes used the leaves and roots in sweat baths for the treatment of malaria, rheumatism and fevers[12][10].
Soil: Can grow in medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bird, R. Growing from Seed Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan, 1989.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica 15th edition. 1982.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.