Oxydendrum arboreum
| Oxydendrum arboreum | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-6.5 |
| Height: | 33' |
| Width: | 20' |
| Speed: | Slow |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Oxydendrum arboreum (common name: sorrel tree)
Propagation: Surface sow the seed[1] in a shady place in a greenhouse either as soon as it is ripe in the autumn[2] or in late winter[3]. Germination is variable[3]. Put outside in a shady position as soon as it germinates and overwinter in a frame[3]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. The seedlings are susceptible to damping off and so should be kept well-ventilated and should not be over-watered.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[2].
Layering.
Cultivation: Requires a moist well-drained lime-free soil[2]. Prefers a pH in the range of 4 to 6[2]. Succeeds in light dappled shade or in full sun[2], it appreciates the protection of other tall shrubs and trees[4][2].
A very ornamental plant[4], it is rather slow growing, especially when growing at the limits of its hardiness[2].
Plants can flower in 4 - 5 years from seed. The flowers are sweetly scented[5].
Transplant with care, plants may take some time to re-establish themselves[2].
The flowers are very attractive to bees[6][7].
Range: South-eastern N. America - Pennsylvania to Florida, west to Louisiana and Ohio.
Habitat: Well-drained gravelly soils on ridges rising above the banks of streams[8].
Edibility: Leaves - raw[9][10][11]. A pleasant acid flavour[8]. They allay thirst[12].
Medicinal: The leaves are cardiac, diuretic, refrigerant and tonic[12][8]. A tea made from the leaves has been used in the treatment of asthma, diarrhoea, indigestion and to check excessive menstrual bleeding[13][14]. It is diuretic and is a folk remedy for treating fevers, kidney and bladder ailments[8][13].
The bark has been chewed in the treatment of mouth ulcers[13][14].
Usage: Wood - heavy, hard, attractive, very close grained. It weighs 46lb per cubic foot and is sometimes used for panelling, tool handles, bearings etc[8][7][15].
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Arnold-Forster, William. Shrubs for the Milder Counties.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Elias, Thomas. The Complete Trees of North America. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.
- ↑ Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.