Myoporum platycarpum
| Myoporum platycarpum | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Myoporum platycarpum
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. 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 the plants some protection from the cold for their first few winters outdoors.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 10cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Pot up in the autumn. Good percentage[1].
Cultivation: We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Easily grown in most soils[2]. Succeeds in dry soils[3].
Range: Australia - New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria.
Habitat: Dry areas[4] on loamy and clayey soils[5]. Usually found in poor limey soils[2].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[6][7]. Caution is advised, see the notes above on possible toxicity.
A sweet manna exudes from the stems[6][8][9][2]. It is a popular local delicacy[7][4]. The manna cannot be induced to flow by wounding the stem[4].
Medicinal: Laxative[5].
Usage: The manna obtained from the stems can be used as an adhesive cement[2].
The plant yields a resin[8][9]. No more details are given, though these reports could be referring to the manna.
Wood - perfumed. Used for veneers and cabinet making, it is a sandalwood substitute[8][9][2].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: Although no records of toxicity have been found for this species, the fruits of at least some members of this genus are known to contain liver toxins and can be harmful in large quantities[10].
Links
References
- ↑ Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Holliday, Ivan and Ron Hill. A Field Guide to Australian Trees. Frederick Muller, 1974.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Cribb, Alan and Joan Cribb. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana, 1976.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lassak, Erich and Tara McCarthy. Australian Medicinal Plants.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Ewart, Alfred. Recording Census of the Victorian Flora. 1923.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Cribb, Alan. Useful Wild Plants in Australia. William Collins, 1981.
- ↑ Crowe, Andrew. Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. Hodder and Stoughton, 1990.