Rhamnus croceus
| Rhamnus croceus | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 13' |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Rhamnus croceus (common name: red berry)
Propagation: Seed - best sown in the autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed will require 1 - 2 months cold stratification at about 5° and should be sown as early in the year as possible in a cold frame or outdoor seedbed[1]. Germination is usually good, at least 80% by late spring. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle, and grow them on in the greenhouse or cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[2].
Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, autumn in a frame.
Layering in early spring[3].
Cultivation: Succeeds in any reasonably good soil[4]. Requires a well-drained sunny site[1].
Plants are possibly hardy to -15°c according to one report[5], whilst another says that this species is rather tender in Britain[6].
The sub-species R. croceus ilicifolia. Greene. often forms a tree up to 7 metres tall[7].
The species in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[1].
The flowers are produced in small clusters in the leaf axils or from small persistent bracts on shoots of the year[7]. Plants of this species can be hermaphrodite or dioecious[7]. If fruit and seed is required it is necessary to grow a hermaphrodite form, or male and female forms.
Range: South-western N. America - California to Arizona, south to Mexico.
Habitat: Scrub and open forests below 1500 metres[5]. Dry washes and canyons[8].
Edibility: Fruit - raw[9][10][11][12]. If eaten in large quantities they can temporarily tinge the skin red[13][14]. The fruit is about 5 - 6mm in diameter[1] and has a thin dry flesh[7]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: Although no specific mention of toxicity has been found for this species, there is the suggestion that some members of this genus could be mildly poisonous[15].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 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.
- ↑ Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Shrubs. Pan Books, 1989.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.
- ↑ Munz, David. A California Flora. University of California Press, 1959.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Frohne, Dietrich and Hans Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Timber Press, 1984.