Practical
Plants

Helwingia japonica

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Cornaceae
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Height
1.5 m
Spread
1.5 m
Fertility
self sterile
Flower type
dioecious

Uses

Edible uses

Young leaves - cooked with rice or boiled as a potherb[1][5][3][4]. The young flowers and young shoots are also eaten[2][3][4].

Plant part
Flowers
Plant part
Leaves

Environment

Range
E. Asia - China, Japan.
Habitat
Woods and thickets in hills and low mountains of Japan[8]. Moist rich soil in woods, thickets, valleys, streamsides and roadsides at elevations of 100 - 3400 metres[7].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 8+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

Seed - we have no information on this species but suggest sowing the seed in a greenhouse in late winter. 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.

Cultivation

Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1]. Requires a sheltered position beneath a good tree canopy cover[6]. Not very hardy in Britain, tolerating temperatures down to about -7°c, it only succeeds outdoors in the milder areas of the country[6]. Cultivated for its leaves in Japan[1]. The flowers are produced on the midribs of the leaves[6]. Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

References

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2

  5. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

  7. Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/

    ↩

  8. Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965-00-00

    ↩

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