Physocarpus opulifolius
| Physocarpus opulifolius | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 2 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Height: | 10' |
| Width: | 13' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Physocarpus opulifolius (common name: ninebark)
Propagation: Seed - we do not have any information for this species but suggest sowing the seed as soon as it is ripe if possible in a cold frame. If sown in the spring it is likely to require a period of cold stratification. 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.
Division of suckers in the dormant season.
Cuttings of greenwood, June in a closed frame[1].
Cultivation: Prefers an acid soil, quickly becoming chlorotic when growing on shallow chalk[1]. Succeeds in a moist moderately fertile soil in full sun[1].
A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to at least -25°c[1].
There are many named varieties, selected for their ornamental value[1].
Flowers are produced on the previous year's growth[2].
A useful plant for rough shrubberies where plants are more or less left to look after themselves[2].
Range: Central and Eastern N. America - Quebec to South Carolina, west to Alabama, Arkansas and Minnesota.
Habitat: Banks of streams[3].
Medicinal: A tea made from the inner bark is laxative and emetic[3][4]. It is used internally to treat women's complaints, gonorrhoea, TB and to enhance fertility[3][4]. It is also used as a wash on scrofulous glands in the neck[4]. Some caution is advised, this herb is best used only under the supervision of a qualified practitioner. See the notes above on toxicity.
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: Large medicinal doses can be toxic[4].
Also Known As: P. stellatus. Spiraea opulifolia. Neillia opulifolia.
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 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.