Smilax sieboldii

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Smilax sieboldii
Light:Full Sun Part Shade
Moisture:Mesic
Soil pH:5.6-8.4
Evergreen Cross Pollinated
Height:7'
Blooms:Early Summer-Mid Summer
Open Woods Forest
Native to:
Edible Rating:PFAF Edibility RatingPFAF Edibility Rating
Tea:Yes
Poisonous

Smilax sieboldii

Propagation: Seed - sow March in a warm greenhouse[1]. This note probably refers to the tropical members of the genus, seeds of plants from cooler areas seem to require a period of cold stratification, some species taking 2 or more years to germinate[K]. We sow the seed of temperate species in a cold frame as soon as we receive it, and would sow the seed as soon as it is ripe if we could obtain it then[K]. When the seedlings eventually germinate, prick them out into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first year, though we normally grow them on in pots for 2 years. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer.

Division in early spring as new growth begins[2]. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer.

Cuttings of half-ripe shoots, July in a frame[2].

Cultivation: Succeeds in most soils in sun or semi-shade[3].

Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Range: E. Asia - China, Japan.

Habitat: Forests, thickets and grassy slopes from near sea level to 1800, occasionally 2500, metres[4].

Edibility: Leaves and young shoots - cooked[5][6][7].

Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.

In Leaf: Evergreen

Seed Ripens: Mid Fall

Flower Type: Dioecious

Links

References

  1. Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
  3. Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
  4. Flora of China. 1994.
  5. Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
  6. Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
  7. Read, Bernard. Famine Foods Listed in the Chiu Huang Pen Ts'ao. Taipei Southern Materials Centre, 1977.