Oemleria cerasiformis
| Oemleria cerasiformis | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Cross Pollinated | |
| Height: | 8' |
| Width: | 13' |
| Blooms: | Early Spring-Mid Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Oemleria cerasiformis (common name: oso berry)
Propagation: The seed requires 4 months stratification at 4°c. It is probably best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in the autumn. Sow stored seed 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 cold frame 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, July/August in a frame.
Layering in spring. Takes 6 months[1].
Suckers, taken at any time in the dormant season[2].
Cultivation: Succeeds in an ordinary well-drained garden soil[3][4], but becomes chlorotic on shallow soils over chalk[4]. Prefers a well-drained moisture retentive soil in a shady position[4]. Requires a sunny position according to another report[5].
Plants are hardy to about -20°c[6].
This species grows well in a woodland garden or in a damp shady border[4]. The plants often sucker freely and can form dense thickets[2].
Old plants can be rejuvenated by cutting them back hard into the old wood in late winter, they will resprout freely from the base[4]. Growth can be restricted by removing suckers and cutting old shoots back or down to the base in late winter[2].
Some, if not all plants are dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
Range: Western N. America - British Columbia to California.
Habitat: Rocky valleys and canyons by streams, roadsides and moist to fairly dry open woods[7].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[8][9][10][11]. A poor flavour[12]. The fruit looks like a small plum but is very bitter with an almond flavour[3]. The fully ripe fruit loses most of its bitterness[13]. The fruit only has a thin layer of flesh[4]. The fruit can be dried and stored for winter use[14]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
Medicinal: The bark is mildly laxative[14]. A decoction has been used in the treatment of tuberculosis[14].
A poultice of the chewed burned plant, mixed with oil, has been used to treat sore parts of the body[14].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Dioecious
Known Hazards: Although no specific mention has been found for this plant. it belongs to a family where the leaves, seed (and sometimes also the fruit) often contain significant amounts of hydrogen cyanide. This is the toxin that gives almonds their characteristic flavo
Also Known As: Nuttallia cerasiformis. Osmaronia cerasiformis.
Links
References
- ↑ Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 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.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Shrubs. Pan Books, 1989.
- ↑ Hitchcock, Leo. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, 1955.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Gunther, Erna. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press, 1981.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Coon, Nelson. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press, 1975.
- ↑ Turner, Nancy. Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples. UBC Press Vancouver, 1995.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.