Photinia villosa
| Photinia villosa | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Height: | 16' |
| Width: | 16' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Photinia villosa
Propagation: Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in the autumn. Stored seed will probably require stratification and should be sown as early in the year as possible[1]. Germination is usually good[1]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Basal cuttings in a frame[2]. Harvest the shoots with plenty of underground stem when they are about 8 - 10cm above the ground. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 7 - 10cm with a heel, July/August in a frame[3][1]. They take about 2 months to root and should be overwintered in a greenhouse, planting out in late spring[1]. Fair to good percentage[1].
Cuttings of almost ripe side shoots, 7 - 12cm with a heel, October/November in a cold frame[1]. Lift the following autumn and plant in their permanent positions[1].
Layering in autumn. Partially sever the layer about 12 months later and lift in the following spring. High percentage[2].
Cultivation: Requires a well-drained fertile soil in a sheltered position in sun or light shade[4][2]. Prefers a warm soil that is not too heavy or close[3]. Dislikes calcareous soils[3][5][2].
A very ornamental[4] and polymorphic species[6], there are a number of sub-species[2]. P. villosa sinica. Rehd.&Wils. is a taller growing form, to 8 metres, and has larger fruits than the type, up to 12mm in diameter[2].
Plants are susceptible to fireblight[2].
The flowers have a hawthorn-like scent[7].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[2].
Range: E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea.
Habitat: Woods in W. Hupeh[8]. Low mountains and hills all over Japan[6]. Slopes, forests, thickets, streamsides, roadsides and waste places at elevations 100 - 1600 metres[9].
Edibility: Fruit[10]. No more details are given. The fruit is about 8mm in diameter[2], though occasionally forms with fruits up to 16mm are seen[9].
Leaves - cooked. A famine food, it is only used when all else fails[11].
Usage: The wood is hard and heavy, suitable for making furniture and other small articles[9].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: P. variabilis. Pourthiaea villosa. (Thunb.)Decne.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Ohwi, Jisaburo. Flora of Japan. Smithsonian Institution, 1965.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Wilson, Ernest and Charles Sargent. Plantae Wilsonianae.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Read, Bernard. Famine Foods Listed in the Chiu Huang Pen Ts'ao. Taipei Southern Materials Centre, 1977.