Prunus ilicifolia
| Prunus ilicifolia | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 9 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 13' |
| Speed: | Moderate |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Prunus ilicifolia (common name: holly-leaved cherry)
Propagation: Seed - requires 2 - 3 months cold stratification and is best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe[1]. Sow stored seed in a cold frame as early in the year as possible[1]. Protect the seed from mice etc. The seed can be rather slow, sometimes taking 18 months to germinate[2]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. 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 with a heel, July/August in a frame[3][1].
Softwood cuttings from strongly growing plants in spring to early summer in a frame[1].
Layering in spring.
Cultivation: Requires a well-drained moisture retentive soil[3]. Succeeds in a hot dry position. Succeeds in full sun but prefers a position with some shade[1]. Thrives in a loamy soil, doing well on limestone[3]. Prefers some chalk in the soil but it is apt to become chlorotic if too much is present[4].
This species is not very hardy in Britain, though it should succeed when grown against a sunny wall in the milder areas of the country[5][6]. Young plants are very susceptible to frost damage, though they become somewhat hardier as they age[6]. It is hardy in the mildest areas of the country[3].
Trees are moderately fast-growing when young, though they slow with age. They often live more than 100 years in the wild[7]. Heavy fruit crops are produced periodically[7].
The flowers are sweetly scented[8].
Most members of this genus are shallow-rooted and will produce suckers if the roots are damaged[9].
This species is notably resistant to honey fungus[1].
Range: South-western N. America - California.
Habitat: Borders of streams and moist sandy soils, where it makes a small tree. It is also found on dry hillsides where it is only a shrub[10].
Edibility: Fruit - raw, cooked or dried for later use[11][12][13]. A pleasant tart taste[14][7], it is considered by some people to be a great delicacy[15]. A thin, slightly acid, astringent flesh[10]. The fruit can be mixed with lemon to make a sauce[13]. The fruit only has a very thin flesh, it is about 15mm in diameter and contains one large seed[1][7].
Seed - raw or cooked[11][16][15]. The seed can be ground into a meal, leached to remove the bitterness and then mixed with flour to make bread etc[13]. The seed meal can be leached by placing it in a basket and then pouring warm water over it[15]. Do not eat the seed if it is too bitter - see the notes above on toxicity.
Medicinal: An infusion of the leaves, or of the bark and roots, has been used as a cough medicine[15].
Although no specific mention has been seen for this species, all members of the genus contain amygdalin and prunasin, substances which break down in water to form hydrocyanic acid (cyanide or prussic acid). In small amounts this exceedingly poisonous compound stimulates respiration, improves digestion and gives a sense of well-being[9].
Usage: A green dye can be obtained from the leaves[17].
A dark grey to green dye can be obtained from the fruit[17].
Wood - heavy, hard, strong, close grained. Usually too small to be of commercial importance, it is used mainly as a fuel[10][7].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Late Fall-Early Winter
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: Although no specific mention has been seen for this species, it belongs to a genus where most, if not all members of the genus produce hydrogen cyanide, a poison that gives almonds their characteristic flavour. This toxin is found mainly in the leaves and
Also Known As: Laurocerasus ilicifolia.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Grey-Wilson, Christopher and Victoria Matthews. Gardening on Walls. Collins, 1983.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Elias, Thomas. The Complete Trees of North America. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Balls, Edward. Early Uses of Californian Plants. University of California Press, 1975.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Simons, Arthur. New Vegetable Growers Handbook. Penguin, 1977.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.