Viburnum lentago
| Viburnum lentago | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 2 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Cross Pollinated | |
| Height: | 30' |
| Width: | 16' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Viburnum lentago (common name: sheepberry)
Propagation: Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe. Germination can be slow, sometimes taking more than 18 months. If the seed is harvested 'green' (when it has fully developed but before it has fully ripened) and sown immediately in a cold frame, it should germinate in the spring[1]. Stored seed will require 2 months warm then 3 months cold stratification and can still take 18 months to germinate[2]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame or greenhouse. Plant out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer of the following year.
Cuttings of soft-wood, early summer in a frame[3]. Pot up into individual pots once they start to root and plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8 cm long with a heel if possible, July/August in a frame[4][2]. Plant them into individual pots as soon as they start to root. These cuttings can be difficult to overwinter, it is best to keep them in a greenhouse or cold frame until the following spring before planting them out[2].
Cuttings of mature wood, winter in a frame. They should root in early spring - pot them up when large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer if sufficient new growth is made, otherwise keep them in a cold frame for the next winter and then plant them out in the spring.
Layering of current seasons growth in July/August. Takes 15 months[4].
Cultivation: An easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils but is ill-adapted for poor soils and for dry situations[5]. It prefers a deep rich loamy soil in sun or semi-shade[6][3]. Best if given shade from the early morning sun in spring[3].
A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -30°c[7].
A fast-growing but short-lived species in the wild[8]. It readily sprouts from the roots and forms thickets, a habit that is undesirable in small gardens[9]. The plants grow well, but do not usually fruit well in Britain[6][3]. This is probably because they are self-incompatible and need to grow close to a genetically distinct plant in the same species in order to produce fruit and fertile seed[6][3].
Range: Northern N. America - New Brunswick to Saskatchewan, south to Virginia and Nebraska
Habitat: Rich soils along woodland borders, edges of streams etc, it is also found on rocky hillsides etc[10][11][9].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[12][13][14][15][16][17]. It can also be dried for winter use[14]. The fruit is variable in size and quality, the best being about 15mm long, pulpy, very sweet, somewhat juicy and pleasant tasting but with a thick skin and a single large seed[10][11][18][19][20]. The fruit is said to be best after a frost[21] but it is sometimes dry[19].
Medicinal: The bark is antispasmodic[21]. A decoction of the roots has been used to treat irregular menstruation and the spitting of blood[17].
An infusion of the leaves has been used in the treatment of measles[17]. An infusion of the leaves has been drunk, or a poultice of leaves applied, in the treatment of dysuria[17].
Usage: The plant is grown as a hedge in N. America[9].
Wood - heavy, hard, close grained, malodorous[11][9]. Of no commercial value due to the small size of the trees[8].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ McMillan-Browse, Philip. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books, 1985.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Shrubs. Pan Books, 1989.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Elias, Thomas. The Complete Trees of North America. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Lauriault, Jean. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada. Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1989.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Simmons, Alan. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles, 1972.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Harris, Ben. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health, 1973.
- ↑ Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ Frohne, Dietrich and Hans Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Timber Press, 1984.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Turner, Nancy. Edible Wild Fruits and Nuts of Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences, 1978.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 McPherson, Alan and Sue McPherson. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press, 1977.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Kavasch, Barrie. Native Harvests. Vintage Books, 1979.