Menziesia ferruginea
| Menziesia ferruginea | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-6.5 |
| Height: | 6' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Menziesia ferruginea (common name: false huckleberry)
Propagation: Seed - best sown in a shady position in a cold frame in the autumn[1] but it can also be sown in late winter [2]. Surface sow and do not allow the compost to become dry. Germination is variable and can take 1 - 2 months at 15°c[2]. Keep the seedlings heavily shaded and prick them out into individual pots when they are 12 months old[2]. Plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer once they are more than 15cm tall.
Cuttings of semi-ripe wood, 2 - 5cm with a heel, May/June in a frame. Keep them shaded. The cuttings are very slow to root but usually a good percentage will succeed[2].
Division in early spring just before active growth begins[2].
Layering.
Cultivation: Requires a lime-free humus-rich moist soil in sun or light shade[3]. Prefers moderate shade, especially on the roots[4][1], but it can also succeed in full sun[5]. Grows well in a woodland garden[1].
Dormant plants are hardy to about -20°c[1]. The young growth in spring is susceptible to damage by late frosts but the plants are otherwise of easy cultivation[3].
Flowers are produced on the previous years wood[1].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[1].
Range: Western N. America.
Habitat: Woodland shade below 300 metres in California[6].
Edibility: Fruit - fresh or dried[7][8][9]. The fruit is about 5 - 7mm in diameter[1].
The nectar has been sucked from the flowers to sweeten the mouth[10].
Medicinal: The leaves are cardiac[10]. They have been chewed to relieve heart pain and treat stomach problems[10]. A poultice of the heated leaves has been applied to sores and swellings[10].
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Munz, David. A California Flora. University of California Press, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.