Juniperus recurva
| Juniperus recurva | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen Cross Pollinated | |
| Height: | 39' |
| Width: | 20' |
| Speed: | Slow |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Juniperus recurva (common name: himalayan juniper)
Propagation: The seed requires a period of cold stratification. The seed has a hard seedcoat and can be very slow to germinate, requiring a cold period followed by a warm period and then another cold spell, each of 2 - 3 months duration[1][2]. Soaking the seed for 3 - 6 seconds in boiling water may speed up the germination process[3]. The seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Some might germinate in the following spring, though most will take another year. Another possibility is to harvest the seed 'green' (when the embryo has fully formed but before the seedcoat has hardened). The seedlings can be potted up into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Grow on in pots until large enough, then plant out in early summer. When stored dry, the seed can remain viable for several years[4].
Cuttings of mature wood, 5 - 10cm with a heel, September/October in a cold frame. Plant out in the following autumn[4][1].
Layering in September/October. Takes 12 months[1].
Cultivation: Succeeds in most soils if they are well drained, preferring a neutral or slightly alkaline soil[4][3] and succeeding on chalk[5]. Prefers a humid sheltered site, doing well in areas with high rainfall[5]. Does not succeed in dry areas[5]. Unlike most members of the genus, this species grows better in the wetter western part of Britain[3].
A very ornamental plant[4] but slow growing in Britain, even young trees fail to average 25cm a year[6].
Plants are resistant to honey fungus[7].
Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
Range: E. Asia - Himalayas to N. Burma.
Habitat: Wetter areas of the Himalayas, to 4600 metres[8]. Forests and thickets at elevations from 1800 - 3900 metres in SE Xizang and NW Yunnan[9].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked. The cones are up to 11mm long and 8mm wide[5].
Medicinal: Smoke from the green wood is emetic and produces long-continued vomiting[10].
Usage: The wood and leaves are used as an incense[11]. The resinous twigs are burnt as an incense[12][13].
The leaves contain about 1.7% essential oil[11].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Mid Fall
Flower Type: Dioecious
Also Known As: J. religiosa. J. repanda.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ Rushforth, Keith. Conifers. Batsford, 1991.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Mitchell, Alan. Conifers in the British Isles. Stationery Office Books, 1975.
- ↑ RHS. The Garden Volume 112. Royal Horticultural Society, 1987.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg and Adam Stainton. Flowers of the Himalayas. Oxford Universtiy Press, 1984.
- ↑ Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Manandhar, Narayan. Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press, 2002.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Gamble, James. A Manual of Indian Timbers. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 1972.