Melicope ternata
| Melicope ternata | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 10 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Evergreen Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 20' |
| Blooms: | Early Fall-Mid Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Melicope ternata
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse[1]. 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. Consider giving them some protection from the cold for their first few winters outdoors.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[1].
Cultivation: An easily grown plant, but it only succeeds outdoors on a sunny wall in the warmest areas of Britain[2][3]. It requires a sandy freely-draining lime-free soil and a position sheltered from hot drying winds[1].
Plants are not very frost hardy and are often defoliated in cold winters[4]. They are best grown in pots that are put outdoors in the summer and brought into a conservatory for the winter[1].
The bruised leaves have a pungent smell of oranges[4].
Range: New Zealand.
Habitat: Coastal to lowland forest, especially marginal, North and South Islands south to latitude 41° 30' south[5].
Edibility: The plant yields an edible gum that is used for chewing[6][7][8][9]. It sweetens the breath[8].
Medicinal: Antihalitosis[8].
Pollinators: Self
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Taylor, Jane. The Milder Garden. Dent, 1990.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Allan, Harry. Flora of New Zealand. Government Printer Publications, 1961.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Crowe, Andrew. Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. Hodder and Stoughton, 1990.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.