Phillyrea latifolia
| Phillyrea latifolia | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 26' |
| Width: | 26' |
| Speed: | Slow |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring-Late Spring |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Phillyrea latifolia
Propagation: Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe[1]. 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 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.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 7 - 10cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Takes 15 months. High percentage[2].
Layering in autumn. Takes 12 months[2].
Cultivation: Thrives in any soil of moderate quality[3]. Prefers a neutral to acid soil but tolerates some lime[1]. Succeeds in sun or semi-shade[1]. Tolerates maritime exposure[4][K].
Plants are hardy to about -15°c[5].
A slow growing plant[6].
The flowers have a rich fruity perfume[7].
This species is cultivated for its edible olive-like fruit in southern Europe[8]. (This report is possibly a mistake[K].)
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[1].
Range: S.E. Europe to W. Asia.
Habitat: Evergreen thickets and rocky slopes[9][10], mainly on limestone[5].
Edibility: Fruit - olive-like[8]. It is possibly edible[11]. The fruit is an ovoid drupe about 6mm in diameter with a single seed[1].
Medicinal: Diuretic, emmenagogue. Also used as a mouthwash[12][13].
Usage: Bears pruning well and can be grown as a hedge, tolerating maritime exposure though it is fairly slow growing[3][14][4]. Any trimming is best carried out in the spring[15].
Wood - fine grained. Used in turner[12][13].
An excellent charcoal is obtained from the stems[16].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Wind: Tolerates maritime wind exposure
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: P. media.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Rosewarne Experimental Horticultural Station. Shelter Trees and Hedges. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, 1984.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Shrubs. Pan Books, 1989.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Greece and the Balkans. Oxford University Press, 1980.
- ↑ Tutin, Tom et al.. Flora Europaea. Cambridge University Press, 1964.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Arnold-Forster, William. Shrubs for the Milder Counties.
- ↑ Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.