Gaultheria fragrantissima
| Gaultheria fragrantissima | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 9 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring-Late Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Gaultheria fragrantissima (common name: fragrant wintergreen)
Propagation: The seed requires a period of cold stratification. Pre-chill for 4 - 10 weeks and then surface sow in a lime-free compost in a shady part of the greenhouse and keep the compost moist[1]. The seed usually germinates well, usually within 1 - 2 months at 20°c, but the seedlings are liable to damp off. It is important to water them with care and to ensure that they get plenty of ventilation. Watering them with a garlic infusion can also help to prevent damping of[K]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are about 25mm tall and grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse for at least their first winter[K]. Plant them out in late spring or early summer. The seedlings are susceptible to spring frosts so might need some protection for their first few years outdoors. The leaves remain very small for the first few years[2].
Cuttings of half-ripe wood 3 - 6cm long, July/August in a frame in a shady position. They form roots in late summer or spring[1]. A good percentage usually take.
Division in spring just before new growth begins[3]. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.
Layering.
Cultivation: Prefers a moist but not boggy humus rich soil in shade or semi-shade[2][4]. A peat and moisture loving species, it requires a lime-free soil[2][4].
This species is not very hardy in Britain, it only succeeds outdoors in the milder areas of the country[3]. It grows well in Cornwall[2].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[3].
The bruised leaves have a powerful camphor-like scent[5]. The flowers are scented like lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis)[5].
This species is highly variable in the size and shape of leaves. In general these varieties are the result of habitat differences. If in forest understories or at forest margins, it is a large shrub or small tree with large leaves. If on sunny slopes or among thickets, it is often a small shrub with narrow leaves[6].
Range: E. Asia - N. India to Sri Lanka and Malaya.
Habitat: Forests and shrubberies[7], usually on dry slopes[8], at elevations of 1200 - 2700 metres in the Himalayas.
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[9][8][10][11]. The purplish-blue fruit is about 8mm in diameter[3].
Leaves - raw. Chewed[9] (to relieve thirst?).
An essential oil obtained from the leaves is used as a flavouring[12][13].
A tea is made from the leaves[14][10].
Medicinal: The essential oil obtained from the leaves is antiseptic, aromatic, carminative and stimulant[12][13]. It is used in the treatment of rheumatism, scabies and neuralgia[12][13][11]. It is also taken internally in the treatment of hook worms[13].
The juice of the leaves is used in the treatment of coughs[11]. Both the juice and the whole leaves are usd as an anthelmintic that is effective against hookworms[11].
The unripe fruits are chewed or made into a juice to treat stomach troubles[11].
Usage: The leaves yield around 1.25% of an essential oil, this is a wintergreen substitute and it is used in perfumery, as a hair oil and medicinally[15][7][16][8][12].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: G. ovalifolia.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Polunin, Oleg and Adam Stainton. Flowers of the Himalayas. Oxford Universtiy Press, 1984.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Gamble, James. A Manual of Indian Timbers. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 1972.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Manandhar, Narayan. Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press, 2002.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Manandhar, N. Medicinal Plants of Nepal Himalaya. Department of Medicinal Plants, 1993.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.