Xylosma japonica
| Xylosma japonica | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 82' |
| Blooms: | Late Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Xylosma japonica
Propagation: Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed in spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[1].
Cultivation: Succeeds in full sun or light shade in most well-drained soils[1]. Tolerant of poor rocky soils[1]. Judging by the plants native habitat in Japan, it probably tolerates maritime exposure[K].
This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, it tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c[1]. Even in the milder areas of the country it usually only makes a small tree or shrub[2].
Range: E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea.
Habitat: Near seashores, C. and S. Japan[3]. Woodlands in Korea[4].
Edibility: Young shoots - cooked. A famine food, they are only used when all else fails[5]. The leaves contain a glycoside[5], see the notes above on toxicity.
Medicinal: The ashes of the stem bark are mixed with water and used to treat jaundice scrofula, sores, tumours etc[6]. They are also used to speed parturition[6].
Usage: Tolerant of clipping, the plant can be grown as a formal hedge especially in areas cooler than its native range where it only develops into a shrub or small tree[1].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Wind: Tolerates maritime wind exposure
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The leaves contain a glycoside[5]. We are not sure if this means that it is poisonous[K].
Also Known As: X. congestum. (Lour.)Merrill. X. racemosum. Miq. Apactis japonica. Croton congestum. Flacourtia japonica. Walp. Hisingera japonica. H. racemosa.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Ohwi, Jisaburo. Flora of Japan. Smithsonian Institution, 1965.
- ↑ Wilson, Ernest and Charles Sargent. Plantae Wilsonianae.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Read, Bernard. Famine Foods Listed in the Chiu Huang Pen Ts'ao. Taipei Southern Materials Centre, 1977.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.