Practical
Plants

Cephalotaxus harringtonia nana

Japanese Plum Yew

a perennial woody evergreen member of the Cephalotaxus genus in the family Cephalotaxaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
evergreen
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
slow
Height
2 m
Spread
3 m
Fertility
self sterile
Flower type
dioecious
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Fruit. - raw or cooked. Plum-like and very sweet with a hint of pine in its flavour[6]. The fruit is about 2cm long[8]. This sub-species is said to produce the best fruit[8]. The fruit does not always ripen in Britain, before full ripeness it has a disgusting resinous flavour that coats the mouth and refuses to go away for hours[K]. Seed - raw or cooked[10][2]. Oily[1]. The seed has a firm texture with a slightly resinous flavour[K].

Plant part
Fruit
Product or use
Oil
Plant part
Seed

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

An oil obtained from the seed is used as an illuminant[2].

Product or use
Oil

Environment

Range
E. Asia - N. Japan.
Habitat
An understorey shrub in woodlands[3][8]. In deciduous forests from near sea level to elevations of 600 metres[9].
Light
partial sun
Shade tolerance
permanent shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 7+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[5], it should then germinate in the following spring[K]. A hard seedcoat can delay germination, especially in if the seed is not sown as soon as it is ripe[81, K]. Stored seed should be cold-stratified and sown in a cold frame in the spring[8]. Germination can take 18 months or more. Prick out the seedlings as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow them on for at least their first winter under cover. Plant out in late spring after the last expected frosts. Greenwood cuttings of terminal shoots, August/September in a humid cold frame[1][8]. Difficult[5]. Division of self-layered stems and suckers in early autumn or mid-spring.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Prefers a moist well-drained sandy soil but succeeds in most soils though it dislikes dry gravelly or chalky soils[1][8]. Prefers a position in semi-shade but tolerates full shade[4][10] and it also succeeds but does not usually thrive in full sun[8]. It grows very well in the mild wet coastal region of W. Scotland where it succeeds even in full sun[8]. Requires a humid sheltered site[8], strongly disliking very exposed positions[1]. The dwarf Japanese plum yew is a very slow growing plant[7] with an excellent potential as a food crop in Britain. The fruit and the seed are often eaten in Japan. In addition, the seeds seem to be immune to the predations of squirrels, the seed on trees growing at Kew Botanical gardens being untouched even though virtually every other nut tree there has its crop destroyed[K]. This sub-species is a small spreading shrub to 2 metres, spreading by means of suckers[10][8]. It is said to have the best fruit of this genus[8], It is also a very frost-resistant plant, succeeding as far north as S. Sweden and Nova Scotia[8]. Plants are dioecious, but female plants sometimes produce fruits and infertile seeds in the absence of any male plants[4]. However, at least one male plant for every five females should be grown if you are growing the plants for fruit and seed. Plants have also been known to change sex[10]. Male cones are produced in the axils of the previous year's leaves, whilst female cones are borne at the base of branchlets[8].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  3. Wilson. E. H. Plantae Wilsonae.

    ↩

  4. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  5. Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0942375009

    ↩1↩2

  6. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩

  7. Mitchell. A. F. Conifers in the British Isles. HMSO 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-11-710012-9

    ↩

  8. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8↩9↩10↩11↩12↩13

  9. Flora of Japan www.foj.info

    ↩

  10. Rushforth. K. Conifers. Christopher Helm 1987-00-00 ISBN 0-7470-2801-X

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

Edit this page