Chionanthus virginicus
| Chionanthus virginicus | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Cross Pollinated | |
| Height: | 16' |
| Width: | 10' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Early Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Chionanthus virginicus (common name: fringe tree)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[1][2]. Germination is usually good. Stored seed can be sown in February or March in a warm greenhouse according to one report[3] but germination can them take 18 months at 15 - 20°c[4]. Alternatively the stored seed can be pre-soaked for 2 - 3 hours in warm water and then given 3 months warm stratification followed by 3 months at 2 - 4°c[4]. Germination can then be fairly rapid. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a greenhouse or cold frame. Plant them out into their permanent positions the following spring or early summer.
Layering in early summer as soon as new growth is long enough. Takes 15 months[3]. Layering can also be carried out in spring or autumn[2].
Cultivation: Prefers a good loamy neutral to acid soil in full sun[1. 11][5][2]. Succeeds in partial shade but does not fruit so well in such a position[2]. Plants flower more freely in areas with hotter summers[6] and are slow-growing in areas with cool summers[7]..
A very ornamental plant[8][9], it is hardy to about -25°c[10].
A fast-growing but short-lived tree in the wild, where it is remarkably free from diseases or insect pests[11]. Plants begin to flower and bear fruit when they are 5 - 8 years old[12]. The flowers have a delicate sweet perfume[13].
Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if seed and fruit is required.
This species transplants easily[9].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[2].
Range: Eastern N. America - Florida and Texas north to New Jersey, Ohio and Missouri.
Habitat: Rich moist soils by the edges of streams and in damp woods and scrub[14][15][16].
Edibility: Fruit - used as a pickle like olives[15][17][18]. The fruit is up to 18mm long, it has a thin pulp and contains 1 - 3 rounded seeds[12].
Medicinal: The fringe tree was commonly used by the North American Indians and European settlers alike to treat inflammations of the eye, mouth ulcers and spongy gums[19]. In modern herbalism it is considered to be one of the most reliable remedies for disorders of the liver and gall bladder[7].
The dried root bark is alterative, aperient, cholagogue, diuretic, febrifuge and tonic[20][21][22][23][7]. It is used in the treatment of gallbladder pain, gallstones, jaundice and chronic weakness[19]. A tincture of the bark was once widely used internally in the treatment of hypertrophy of the liver, jaundice, bilious headache, gallstones, rheumatism etc[23][7]. The root bark also appears to strengthen function in the pancreas and spleen whilst anecdotal evidence indicates that it may substantially reduce sugar levels in the urine[19]. Fringe tree also stimulates the appetite and digestion and is an excellent remedy for chronic illness, especially where the liver has been affected[19].
A tea or a poultice can be made from the root bark for external use as a wash for wounds, inflammations, sores, infections etc[20][23].
The roots can be harvested at any time of the year, the bark is peeled from them and is then dried for later use[7].
Usage: Wood - hard, heavy, close grained, weighing about 39lb per cubic foot[16][12]. Of no commercial value because of the small size of the tree[11].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Mid Fall
Flower Type: Dioecious
Also Known As: C. pubescens.
Links
References
- ↑ Bird, Alfred. Growing from Seed Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan, 1990.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Shrubs. Pan Books, 1989.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Elias, Thomas. The Complete Trees of North America. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Vines, Robert. Trees of North Texas. University of Texas Press, 1982.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Harris, Ben. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health, 1973.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.