Dirca occidentalis
| Dirca occidentalis | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 6' |
| Blooms: | Early Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Dirca occidentalis (common name: leather wood)
Propagation: Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe[1]. Remove the fruit flesh since this can inhibit germination[1]. Dried seed will require 2 - 3 months cold stratification[1]. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 6 months at 15°c[2]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the 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.
Layering.
Cultivation: Thrives in a moist peaty soil[3][4] and a sheltered position[2]. Prefers a reasonably moist humus-rich limy soil according to another report[5].
The flowers are produced in early spring and they are often damaged by frost[3][6].
Range: South-western N. America - California..
Habitat: Moist situations, often on calcareous soils[6].
Usage: The following uses are for the closely related D. palustris, they quite possibly also apply to this species[K].
The tough flexible shoots are used in basket making and as a tying material[3][4][7][8][9].
A rope can be made from the bark fibres[3][4][8][10]. The bark fibres are also used in making paper[11]. The stems are harvested in summer, the leaves are removed and the stems steamed until the fibres can be stripped. The outer and inner barks are separated by scraping or peeling. The fibres are cooked for 2 hours or less with soda ash and then beaten with mallets or put through a blender. The paper is greenish cream in colour[11].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bird, Alfred. Focus on Plants Volume 5. Thompson and Morgan, 1991.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Saunders, Charles. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1976.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Bell, Lilian. Plant Fibres for Papermaking. Liliaceae Press, 1988.