Holodiscus discolor
| Holodiscus discolor | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 10' |
| Width: | 10' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Holodiscus discolor (common name: creambush)
Propagation: The seed requires 4 months stratification at 4°c. It is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Stored seed should be sown as early in the year as possible. 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 with a heel, July/August in a frame. Can be difficult[1].
Layering in spring. Easy[1].
Cultivation: Succeeds in a good loamy soil that does not become too dry in summer, in full sun or light shade[1].
A fast-growing plant[2], it thrives in thin woodland[3].
A very ornamental plant[4][3], when fully dormant it is hardy to about -15°c[1], though the young growth in spring can be damaged by late frosts[K].
The flowers emit a perfume similar to meadowsweet[5].
Range: Western N. America.
Habitat: Woods and rocky places in California[6]. Streambanks and moist woods, canyons and hills from valleys to around 2,100 metres[7].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[8][9][10]. Small and dry[11][10].
Medicinal: The seeds are a blood purifier[12]. An infusion has been used in the treatment of smallpox, black measles and chickenpox[12].
The blossoms have been used in the treatment of diarrhoea[12].
The inner bark is tonic[12]. An infusion has been used as an eyewash[12]. The bark can be dried, powdered and then used with oil as a dressing on burns[12].
A poultice of the leaves has been applied to sore lips and sore feet[12]. A powder of the dried leaves has been used as a dressing on sores[12]. A decoction of the leaves has been used in the treatment of influenza[12].
Usage: Wood - very hard. Used for making small tools, roasting tongs etc[13]. It does not burn easily[13].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Sericotheca discolor. Spiraea discolor. S. ariaefolia.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Munz, David. A California Flora. University of California Press, 1959.
- ↑ Davis, Ray and Frank Craighead. A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers. The Riverside Press, 1963.
- ↑ Coon, Nelson. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press, 1975.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 12.7 12.8 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Gunther, Erna. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press, 1981.