Gleditsia sinensis
| Gleditsia sinensis | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 39' |
| Speed: | Moderate |
| Native to: | |
| Nitrogen Fixer | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Gleditsia sinensis
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].
Rather tender when young, it grows best in S. Britain[2]. A tree at Cambridge Botanical Gardens was 13 metres tall in 1985[2].
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 top storey tree in 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 - China.
Habitat: Dry valleys in W. China, 1000 - 1600 metres[5]. Along valley streams or on level land[6].
Edibility: The seed is roasted, dehusked, soaked until soft then boiled and eaten with sugar[7].
Young leaves - cooked. A famine food used when all else fails[8].
Medicinal: A decoction of the leaves is used for washing sores[9], including syphilitic skin diseases[10].
The stem bark is anthelmintic and febrifuge[9].
The fruit is antibacterial, antifungal, antitussive, astringent, emetic, expectorant, haemostatic and stimulant[10][11][12][9]. It is used in the treatment of bronchial asthma with sticky phlegm, epilepsy and apoplexy with loss of consciousness[11]. Overdosage can cause poisoning of the entire body, haemolysis of the blood[11].
The seed is emetic, expectorant, decongestant and purgative[6][9]. They have been used in the treatment of cancer of the rectum[9].
The root bark is anthelmintic and antifebrile[9].
The thorns on the plant are antipruritic[11]. They are used in the treatment of acute purulent inflammation, dermatopathies and tonsillitis[11]. They should not be used by pregnant women[11].
The plant has been used in the treatment of lockjaw, stroke, acute numbness of the throat and epilepsy, but the report does not make clear whether the seed or the thorns of the plant are used[6]
Usage: The pod is used as a soap substitute[13][14]. The seed is used[12].
Tannin is obtained from the seedpod[14].
Wood - strong, durable, coarse-grained[15]. Used for general construction[13][14].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Pollution: Tolerates environmental pollution.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The plant contains potentially toxic compounds[16].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 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.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ Read, Bernard. Famine Foods Listed in the Chiu Huang Pen Ts'ao. Taipei Southern Materials Centre, 1977.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Kariyone, Tatsuo. Atlas of Medicinal Plants.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 Yeung, Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, 1985.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.
- ↑ Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.