Pyracantha crenulata
| Pyracantha crenulata | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 20' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Mid Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Pyracantha crenulata (common name: nepalese white thorn)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[1]. Remove all the fruit flesh since this can inhibit germination[1]. Stored seed requires 3 months cold stratification, sow it as early in the year as possible in a cold frame[2]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of almost mature wood, 5 - 10cm with a heel, mid-August in a cold frame[3]. Pot up in October or the following spring[3].
Cultivation: Prefers a good well-drained, moisture retentive loamy soil[4][1]. Succeeds in any soil that is warm and not very heavy[5]. Another report says that it grows well in heavy clay soils. Succeeds in sun or part shade, though it does not fruit so well in a shady position[1]. Tolerates atmospheric pollution and reasonable exposure, though it requires protection from cold winds[1].
Closely related to P. coccinea, but it is not as hardy as that species and is best grown on a south-facing wall in Britain[5].
Susceptible to scab and fireblight[5], especially when grown on acid sandy soils[6].
Range: E. Asia - Himalayas to China.
Habitat: Shrubberies, open slopes, cultivated areas, 1000 - 2400 metres from Kashmir to S.W. China[7]. Slopes, roadsides, streamsides, among shrubs, grassy places, valleys[8].
Edibility: The leaves are made into a tea-like beverage[9][10].
The fruits are rich in sugar[9]. The ripe fruit is eaten fresh[11]. The fruit is 6 - 8mm in diameter[1].
Medicinal: The powdered, dried fruit, combined with yoghurt, is used in the treatment of bloody dysentery[11].
Usage: The plant makes an excellent hedge[11].
Wood - hard, very close and even grained. Used for walking sticks[7][12][11].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Wind: Tolerates strong winds
Pollution: Tolerates environmental pollution.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
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: Crataegus crenulata. Mespilus crenulata.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 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 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Polunin, Oleg and Adam Stainton. Flowers of the Himalayas. Oxford Universtiy Press, 1984.
- ↑ Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Manandhar, Narayan. Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press, 2002.
- ↑ Gamble, James. A Manual of Indian Timbers. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 1972.