Dirca palustris
| Dirca palustris | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 6' |
| Blooms: | Early Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Dirca palustris (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]. They have a soft sweet perfume[7].
The species D. occidentalis A.Gray. is very closely related to this plant[6], so it might have the same uses[K].
Range: Eastern N. America - New Brunswick to Florida, west to Louisiana and Minnesota.
Habitat: Rich deciduous or mixed woods[8] in moist situations, often on calcareous soils[6].
Medicinal: Leatherwood was employed medicinally by a number of native North American Indian tribes who used it to treat a wide variety of ailments[9]. It is little used in modern herbalism and any use should be carried out with caution since even minute doses can cause salivation and burning of the tongue[10].
A tea made from the bark is laxative[10]. Another report says that it is purgative and emetic, and can produce violent vomiting[11][9].
An infusion of the roots has been used in the treatment of pulmonary problems[9].
A decoction of the branches has been applied as a poultice to swellings on the limbs[9].
The plant is a folk remedy for toothaches, facial neuralgia and paralysis of the tongue, venereal disease, and has also been used to try and induce pregnancy[10][9].
Usage: The tough flexible shoots are used in basket making and as a tying material[3][4][8][12][13].
A rope can be made from the bark fibres[3][4][12][14]. The bark fibres are also used in making paper[15]. 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[15].
A compound infusion of the roots has been used as a wash to strengthen the hair and make it grow[9].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: Contact with the plant can cause severe dermatitis with redness, blistering and sores in some people[10].
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 6.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 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.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Bell, Lilian. Plant Fibres for Papermaking. Liliaceae Press, 1988.