Tsuga chinensis
| Tsuga chinensis | |
| Light: |    |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 148' |
| Speed: | Slow |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Tsuga chinensis (common name: chinese hemlock)
Propagation: Seed - it germinates better if given a short cold stratification[1][2] and so is best sown in a cold frame in autumn to late winter. It can also be sown in early spring, though it might not germinate until after the next winter. If there is sufficient seed, an outdoor sowing can be made in spring[3]. Pot-grown seedlings are best potted up into individual pots once they are large enough to handle - grow them on in a cold frame and plant them out in early summer of the following year. Trees transplant well when they are up to 80cm tall, but they are best put in their final positions when they are about 30 - 45 cm or less tall, this is usually when they are about 5 - 8 years old[4]. Larger trees will check badly and hardly put on any growth for several years. This also badly affects root development and wind resistance[4].
Cultivation: An easily grown plant, it thrives best when growing in a deep well-drained soil in the western parts of Britain where it appreciates the higher rainfall[5]. However, it succeeds in most soils and positions, being especially good on acidic sandy soils[6] but also tolerating some lime[5] so long as there is plenty of humus in the soil[7]. Plants are very shade tolerant when young, but need more sunlight as they grow older[6][4]. Plants are thin and poor when grown in dry or exposed places[4].
A very slow growing tree in most of Britain but probably faster in the far west and in Ireland[8]. Plants require hot humid summers and do not usually thrive in Britain[4]. Plants are very liable to injury by late frosts[9], they are often shrubby in cultivation[4].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[4].
Range: E. Asia - C. and W. China.
Habitat: Forests, especially on steep cliffs, 2300 - 3000 metres[10]. Mountains, mixed forests, valleys and river basins at elevations of 1000 - 3500 metres[11].
Edibility: Inner bark - raw or dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickening in soups etc or mixed with cereals when making bread[12][13][14].
A herbal tea is made from the young shoot tips[12][15][16][17][18]. These tips are also an ingredient of 'spruce beer'[18].
Medicinal: The bark is astringent, diaphoretic and diuretic[19]. A tea made from the inner bark or twigs is helpful in the treatment of kidney or bladder problems, and also makes a good enema for treating diarrhoea[19]. It can also be used as a gargle or mouthwash for mouth and throat problems or externally to wash sores and ulcers[19].
The powdered bark can be put into shoes for tender or sweaty feet or for foot odour[19].
Usage: Apart from the report about the use of the wood, all the other uses listed below are based on the uses that T. canadensis is put to and a note in [13] that this species has similar uses.
Yields a resin similar to Abies balsamea, it is gathered by incisions in the trunk or by boiling the wood[13][20][21].
The bark contains 8 - 14% tannin[13][22]. The inner bark is used according to one report[23].
A brown dye is obtained from the bark[19][13].
A pitch (called hemlock pitch), is obtained by distillation of the young branches[13].
Tolerant of light trimming, plants can be grown as a hedge[6]. This species does not make a good hedge in Britain[4].
Wood - soft, durable. Used for shingles[23]. The timber is used for construction, aircraft, furniture, and in mines[11].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Mid Fall-Late Fall
Flower Type: Monoecious
Also Known As: Abies chinensis.
Links
References
- ↑ McMillan-Browse, Philip. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books, 1985.
- ↑ Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Rushforth, Keith. Conifers. Batsford, 1991.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Plants for Ground Cover. Everyman, 1990.
- ↑ Mitchell, Alan. Conifers in the British Isles. Stationery Office Books, 1975.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Wilson, Ernest and Charles Sargent. Plantae Wilsonianae.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ Saunders, Charles. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1976.
- ↑ McPherson, Alan and Sue McPherson. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press, 1977.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Howes, Frank. Vegetable Gums and Resins. Chronica Botanica, 1949.
- ↑ Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.