Gleditsia japonica
| Gleditsia japonica | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 66' |
| Width: | 39' |
| Speed: | Moderate |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Nitrogen Fixer | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Gleditsia japonica
Propagation: Seed - pre-soak for 24 hours in warm water and then sow in spring in a greenhouse[1]. The seed should have swollen up, in which case it can be sown, if it has not swollen then soak it for another 24 hours in warm water. If this does not work then file away some of the seed coat but be careful not to damage the embryo[1]. Further soaking should then cause the seed to swell. One it has swollen, the seed should germinate within 2 - 4 weeks at 20°c. As soon as they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual deep pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer. Give the plants some protection from the cold for their first few winters outdoors.
Cultivation: Easily grown in a loamy soil, requiring a sunny position[2]. Succeeds in most soils[3]. Tolerates drought once established[4] and atmospheric pollution[3].
A rather tender plant, especially when young, it is seen at its best in southern Britain[2]. Older trees, however, are completely hardy in Britain[2]. Trees at Kew produced lots of pods and fertile seeds in the hot summer of 1989, they also fruited well in the cool summer of 1993 and also in 1994, 95 and 96[K].
Trees are cultivated for their seedpods in Japan[5].
Trees have a light canopy, they come into leaf late in the spring and drop their leaves in early autumn[3] making them an excellent canopy tree for a woodland garden.
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[3].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[3].
Range: E. Asia - Japan.
Habitat: Damp sandy soils[3]
Edibility: Seed - cooked. The seed is roasted, dehusked, soaked until soft then boiled and eaten with sugar[6]. The seed contains 22.4% protein and 2.8% fat[7].
Young leaves - cooked[8]. A famine food used when all else fails[9].
Medicinal: Antitussive, astringent, expectorant, haemostatic, skin[10]. Treats syphilitic skin diseases[10].
Usage: A soap is obtained from the pulp contained in the seedpods[2][11][5][10]. It is obtained from the seed according to another report[8].
Wood - strong, durable, coarse-grained[12].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Pollution: Tolerates environmental pollution.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: G. horrida. non Salisb.
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 3.4 3.5 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Read, Bernard. Famine Foods Listed in the Chiu Huang Pen Ts'ao. Taipei Southern Materials Centre, 1977.
- ↑ Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Kariyone, Tatsuo. Atlas of Medicinal Plants.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.