Practical
Plants

Gleditsia japonica

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Gleditsia genus in the family Leguminosae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
moderate
Height
20 m
Spread
12 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Edible uses

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

Seed - cooked. The seed is roasted, dehusked, soaked until soft then boiled and eaten with sugar[6]. The seed contains 22.4% protein and 2.8% fat[8]. Young leaves - cooked[2]. A famine food used when all else fails[5].

Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Seed

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.

Antitussive, astringent, expectorant, haemostatic, skin[4]. Treats syphilitic skin diseases[4].

Product or use
Antitussive
Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Expectorant
Product or use
Haemostatic
Product or use
Skin
Product or use
VD

Material uses

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

A soap is obtained from the pulp contained in the seedpods[3][9][10][4]. It is obtained from the seed according to another report[2]. Wood - strong, durable, coarse-grained[12].

Product or use
Soap

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Canopy

Environment

Range
E. Asia - Japan.
Habitat
Damp sandy soils[7]
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 6+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerances
drought
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
tolerant

Propagation

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

Seed - pre-soak for 24 hours in warm water and then sow in spring in a greenhouse[11]. The seed should have swollen up, in which case it can be sown, if it has not swollen then soak it for another 24 hours in warm water. If this does not work then file away some of the seed coat but be careful not to damage the embryo[11]. Further soaking should then cause the seed to swell. One it has swollen, the seed should germinate within 2 - 4 weeks at 20°c. As soon as they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual deep pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer. Give the plants some protection from the cold for their first few winters outdoors.

Cultivation

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

Easily grown in a loamy soil, requiring a sunny position[3]. Succeeds in most soils[7]. Tolerates drought once established[1] and atmospheric pollution[7]. A rather tender plant, especially when young, it is seen at its best in southern Britain[3]. Older trees, however, are completely hardy in Britain[3]. Trees at Kew produced lots of pods and fertile seeds in the hot summer of 1989, they also fruited well in the cool summer of 1993 and also in 1994, 95 and 96[K]. Trees are cultivated for their seedpods in Japan[10]. Trees have a light canopy, they come into leaf late in the spring and drop their leaves in early autumn[7] making them an excellent canopy tree for a woodland garden. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[7]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[7].

References

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

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  4. Kariyone. T. Atlas of Medicinal Plants.

    ↩1↩2↩3

  5. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

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  6. Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977-00-00

    ↩

  7. 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

  8. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

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  9. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

  10. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩1↩2

  11. Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  12. Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20278-X

    ↩

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