Disporum trachycarpum
Fairybells
a perennial member of the Disporum genus in the family Colchicaceae.
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Colchicaceae
- Genus
- Disporum
- Life cycle
- perennial
- Height
- 0.5 m
- Flower type
- hermaphrodite
Uses
Edible uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Fruit - raw[2][3][5][11]. A sweet flavour[8]. The fruit is up to 10mm in diameter and is leathery rather than pulpy[10].
- Plant part
- Fruit
Medicinal uses
Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
The seed has been used to clear foreign objects from the eye. A fresh seed was inserted and the eye closed then rubbed until the seed was watered out with the foreign object clinging to it[11]. The seeds were also placed in the eye overnight and an infusion of the bark used as an eyewash to treat snow-blindness[11]. An infusion of the leaves has been used as a wash for wounds whilst a poultice of the dampened bruised leaves has been applied to bleeding wounds[11].
- Product or use
- Ophthalmic
- Product or use
- Poultice
Environment
- Range
- Western N. America - British Columbia to N.E. Oregon and south along the Rockies.
- Habitat
- Wooded slopes, often by streams, or in aspen groves, to 3000 metres[12].
- Light
- partial sun
- Shade tolerance
- permanent shade
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- Zone 5+
- 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 in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe[4]. Use a lime-free compost and keep it moist[4]. Stored seed requires 6 weeks cold stratification and should be sown as early in the year as possible[4]. Germination usually takes place within 3 - 6 months or more at 15°c[4]. 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. Division in spring[7].
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Best grown in partial shade in a moist peaty or woodland soil[1][4]. A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -20°c[6]. Plants spread well by means of creeping rhizomes when they are grown in a leafy soil[6]. This species is closely related to D. smithii[9].
References
F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00
Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
Bird. R. (Editor) Focus on Plants. Volume 5. (formerly 'Growing from seed') Thompson and Morgan. 1991-00-00
Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169
Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Craighead. J., Craighead. F. and Davis. R. A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers The Riverside Press 1963-00-00 ISBN 63-7093
Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5
Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955-00-00