Ehretia acuminata
| Ehretia acuminata | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 30' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Ehretia acuminata (common name: koda tree)
Propagation: Seed - we have no information on this species but suggest sowing it as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse. Sow stored seed in late winter or early spring. 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.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame.
Cultivation: Prefers a moderately fertile well-drained sandy loam in a sunny position[1]. Tolerates calcareous soils[1]. Requires a sheltered position[1]. Plants are shade tolerant in continental climates but they require more sun in maritime areas in order to ripen the wood[1]. Rich fertile soils encourage soft sappy growth which is then more susceptible to winter damage[1].
The young growth in spring, even on mature plants, is frost-tender and so it is best to grow the plants in a position sheltered from the early morning sun[K].
A tree at Kew was 6 metres tall in 1989[K].
This species is much confused with E. ovalifolia[2].
Range: E. Asia - China to the Himalayas.
Habitat: Woodlands in valleys to 1500 metres in W. China[3][4].
Edibility: Fruit - raw[5][6][4][7][8]. About the size of a pea, it is insipidly sweet when fully ripe[9][10]. The fruit is about 4mm in diameter[1]. The unripe fruit is sometimes used as a pickle[9][10].
Medicinal: The juice of the bark is used in the treatment of fevers[11].
Usage: Wood - light, tough, soft and easily worked. Used for carrying poles[12][13][7].
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: E. serrata. Roxb.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Wilson, Ernest and Charles Sargent. Plantae Wilsonianae.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Gamble, James. A Manual of Indian Timbers. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 1972.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Cribb, Alan and Joan Cribb. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana, 1976.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Gupta, Basant. Forest Flora of Chakrata, Dehra Dun and Saharanpur. Forest Research Institute Press, 1945.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Manandhar, Narayan. Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press, 2002.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.