Spiraea salicifolia
| Spiraea salicifolia | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 6' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Early Fall |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Spiraea salicifolia (common name: bridewort)
Propagation: Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame if possible. It is likely to require stratification before it germinates, so stored seed should be sown in a cold frame as early in the year as you receive it. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle, and grow them on in a 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 light sandy soil a frame.
Cuttings of mature wood of the current seasons growth, 15cm long, October/November in an outdoor frame[1]. Another report says that September is a good time to do this[2].
Division of suckers in early spring[1]. They can be planted out straight into their permanent positions.
Cultivation: Tolerates most soils[1], but prefers a good loamy soil, abundant moisture and full sunlight[2][1]. Prefers a moist lime-free soil[3], plants quickly become chlorotic on chalk soils[1].
A very cold hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -25°c[4].
Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[2].
A rampant suckering shrub, it quickly produces dense thickets[3]. It is apt to get thin and poor unless divided up fairly regularly and replanted in fairly good soil[5].
Range: Europe to E. Asia. Naturalized in Wales and N. Britain[6].
Habitat: Wet boggy places in the mountains of N. Japan[7]. More or less naturalized in woods in Wales and N. England[6].
Edibility: Young leaves - cooked[8]. Rich in vitamin C[9].
Medicinal: The roots have been used in the treatment of coughs and chest colds[10].
Immature seeds have been used in the treatment of diarrhoea with blood[10].
Usage: A soil stabilizer for river and lakeside banks[1].
Plants are frequently planted in hedges[6].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
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.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Shrubs. Pan Books, 1989.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Ohwi, Jisaburo. Flora of Japan. Smithsonian Institution, 1965.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.