Prinsepia utilis
| Prinsepia utilis | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 11' |
| Width: | 10' |
| Blooms: | Late Winter |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Prinsepia utilis
Propagation: Seed - best if given 2 months cold stratification[1]. Sow the seed in autumn if possible, otherwise in late winter or early spring in a cold frame in light shade. Germination may be inhibited by light[1]. Prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle into individual pots. Grow them on in a greenhouse or cold frame for their first winter and plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[1].
Cultivation: Succeeds in any moderately fertile well-drained soil in full sun or light shade[2]. Requires a light not too fertile soil[3].
Plants are hardy to about -10°c[4].
The plants produce flowers and fruits better when they are growing in full sun[2]. Flowers are produced on the previous seasons wood[2] and can be produced in the autumn as well as the spring. The flowers are produced on the current years wood according to another report[5]. Autumn flowers can produce ripe fruit in the following spring. Unfortunately, the plants only produce fruit in Britain after long hot summers[2].
Range: E. Asia - Himalayas from Pakistan to W. China.
Habitat: Forest, scrub and hedges, 1200 - 2700 metres[6]. Usually found in sunny open places on dry hillsides near any spring or water-course[7][8].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[9][10][11][12]. Liked by children[13]. Sloe-like[7], it has rather an astringent flavour[K]. The fruit is up to 17mm long and contains a single large seed[K].
An edible oil is obtained from the seed[10][6][14][7]. It is used in cooking[12][13].
Medicinal: An oil from the seed is rubefacient[15]. It is applied externally as a treatment for rheumatism and muscular pain caused by hard work[15]. The oil is also applied to the forehead and temples in the treatment of coughs and colds[13].
The heated oilcake is applied as a poultice to the abdomen in the treatment of stomachaches[13]. A paste of this seedcake is used as a poultice to treat ringworm or eczema[13].
The fruit is used in Chinese medicine[16]. We have no more details.
Usage: The seed contains 21% of a fatty oil[15]. As well as being edible, it can also be used for lighting[10][7][8][13].
The oilcake is used for washing clothes[13].
A deep purple colour btained from the fruits is used for painting windows and walls[13].
Plants are grown as a hedge in the Himalayas[9][13].
Plants have an extensive root system and are used for binding the soil[13].
Wood - very hard, compact, very liable to split[8].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Early Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 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 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Shrubs. Pan Books, 1989.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Polunin, Oleg and Adam Stainton. Flowers of the Himalayas. Oxford Universtiy Press, 1984.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Gamble, James. A Manual of Indian Timbers. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 1972.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Gupta, Basant. Forest Flora of Chakrata, Dehra Dun and Saharanpur. Forest Research Institute Press, 1945.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 13.8 13.9 Manandhar, Narayan. Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press, 2002.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ Alpine Garden Society. Alpine Garden Society Bulletin Volume 56. Alpine Garden Society.