Celastrus orbiculatus
Celastrus orbiculatus | |
Light: | |
Moisture: | |
Hardiness: | 4 |
Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
Height: | 39' |
Width: | 39' |
Speed: | Fast |
Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
Open Woods Forest | |
Native to: | |
Edible Rating: | |
Medicinal Rating: | |
Tea: | Yes |
Celastrus orbiculatus (common name: oriental bittersweet)
Propagation: Seed - gather when ripe, store in dry sand and sow February in a warm greenhouse[1]. Three months cold stratification leads to a higher germination rate[2]. Remove the flesh of the fruit since this inhibits germination[2]. Germination rates are usually good[1]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[3].
Layering in August of the current seasons growth. Takes 12 months[1].
Root cuttings, 6mm thick 25mm long in December. Plant horizontally in pots in a frame[1].
Cultivation: Prefers a deep loamy soil[4] but succeeds in most soils so long as they are not too shallow[5]. Succeeds in full or partial shade[3]. Plants flower more freely if their top-growth is in the sun[6]. Requires a humus-rich soil if it is to be at its best[7].
A very ornamental plant[4], it is hardy to about -25°c[8].
A rampant climber, it requires ample space and is best grown into an old tree[1, 200. It climbs by means of twining and also by the young stems having prickles[6]. Plants do not normally require pruning[7].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[8].
Plants are usually dioecious, in which case male and female plants must be grown if seed is required, but hermaphrodite forms are in cultivation[9][6][8].
Range: N.E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea.
Habitat: Thickets on grassy slopes in lowland and mountains all over Japan[10]. Forest edges in China[11].
Edibility: Young leaves - cooked[12][13].
Medicinal: The roots, stems and leaves are antiphlogistic, antirheumatic, depurative and tonic[11][14]. A decoction of the roots and stems is used internally whilst the crushed fresh leaves are used for external applications[11]. The plant is used in the treatment of paralysis, numbness of the four extremities, headache, toothache, spontaneous abscess formation and snake bites[11].
Many plants in this genus contain compounds of interest for their antitumour activity[14].
Usage: Used as a hedge[10].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Late Fall-Late Winter
Flower Type: Dioecious
Also Known As: C. articulatus. Thunb.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Davis, Brian. Climbers and Wall Shrubs. Viking, 1990.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Grey-Wilson, Christopher and Victoria Matthews. Gardening on Walls. Collins, 1983.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Ohwi, Jisaburo. Flora of Japan. Smithsonian Institution, 1965.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.