Prunus mume
| Prunus mume | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 30' |
| Width: | 20' |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Prunus mume (common name: japanese apricot)
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: Thrives in a well-drained moisture-retentive loamy soil, growing well on limestone[3][1]. Prefers some lime in the soil but is likely to become chlorotic if too much lime is present[4]. Requires a sunny position and a sheltered site[3].
This species is hardy to about -15°c[5], it succeeds when grown against a sunny wall in Britain or in a sheltered woodland[5].
Much cultivated in China and Japan for its edible fruit, there are many named varieties[3][5].
White-flowered forms possess a sweet perfume, but red-flowered forms have no scent[6].
Most members of this genus are shallow-rooted and will produce suckers if the roots are damaged[7].
Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[1].
Range: E. Asia - Chine, Korea.
Habitat: Thickets in W. China, 300 - 2500 metres[5]. Forested slopes, beside streams, slopes along trails, sparse forests, mountains at elevations of 1700 - 3100 metres[8].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[9][10][11][12]. Hard and sour even when fully ripe, it is scarcely edible[9][3]. It is, however, widely used in the Orient where it is usually pickled and then used as a condiment and a vegetable[9][3]. This is the umboshi plum that can be found in oriental stores. It is preserved in salt and used as a relish in rice dishes etc[12]. The fruit contains about 0.9% protein, 18.9% carbohydrate, 0.6% ash, no fat. The fruit is about 3cm in diameter and contains one large seed[1].
The flowers are used as a flavouring in tea[9][12].
Seed - raw or cooked. Do not eat the seed if it is too bitter - see the notes above on toxicity.
Young budlings[12]. No more details are given.
Medicinal: The unripe fruit is antibacterial, antipyretic, antispasmodic, astringent, carminative, cholagogue, pectoral, sialagogue and vermifuge[13][14][15][16][17][7]. The fruit has a broad-spectrum antibacterial activity[18]. Cooling and refreshing, it is mixed with other herbs and used internally in the treatment of bronchitis, chronic coughs, chronic diarrhoea and roundworms[15][7][18]. The fruit is also used in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery, to stop bleeding and to ease coughs[19]. Externally, it is applied to fungal skin infections, corns and warts[7].
The half-ripe smoked fruit is considered to be antispasmodic, carminative and febrifuge[20].
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[7].
Usage: A green dye can be obtained from the leaves[21].
A dark grey to green dye can be obtained from the fruit[21].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Late Summer
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: Armeniaca mume.
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 3.4 3.5 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Shrubs. Pan Books, 1989.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Oriental Herbs and Vegetables, Vol 39 No. 2. Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1986.
- ↑ Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Kariyone, Tatsuo. Atlas of Medicinal Plants.
- ↑ Yeung, Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, 1985.
- ↑ Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Medicinal Plants in the Republic of Korea. World Health Organisation, 1998.
- ↑ Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.