Holodiscus discolor
Creambush
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Genus
- Holodiscus
- Life cycle
- perennial
- Foliage
- deciduous
- Woodiness
- woody
- Growth rate
- vigorous
- Height
- 3 m
- Spread
- 3 m
- Fertility
- Insects
- Flower type
- hermaphrodite
- Pollinators
- Insects
Uses
Edible uses
Fruit - raw or cooked[2][6][7]. Small and dry[5][7].
- 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.
The seeds are a blood purifier[12]. An infusion has been used in the treatment of smallpox, black measles and chickenpox[12]. The blossoms have been used in the treatment of diarrhoea[12]. The inner bark is tonic[12]. An infusion has been used as an eyewash[12]. The bark can be dried, powdered and then used with oil as a dressing on burns[12]. A poultice of the leaves has been applied to sore lips and sore feet[12]. A powder of the dried leaves has been used as a dressing on sores[12]. A decoction of the leaves has been used in the treatment of influenza[12].
- Product or use
- Blood purifier
- Product or use
- Ophthalmic
- Product or use
- Poultice
- Product or use
- Skin
- Product or use
- Tonic
Material uses
Wood - very hard. Used for making small tools, roasting tongs etc[4]. It does not burn easily[4].
- Product or use
- Wood
Environment
- Range
- Western N. America.
- Habitat
- Woods and rocky places in California[13]. Streambanks and moist woods, canyons and hills from valleys to around 2,100 metres[10].
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- light shade
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- Zone 5+
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
The seed requires 4 months stratification at 4°c. It is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Stored seed should be sown as early in the year as possible. 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 with a heel, July/August in a frame. Can be difficult[9]. Layering in spring. Easy[9].
Cultivation
Succeeds in a good loamy soil that does not become too dry in summer, in full sun or light shade[9]. A fast-growing plant[8], it thrives in thin woodland[3]. A very ornamental plant[1][3], when fully dormant it is hardy to about -15°c[9], though the young growth in spring can be damaged by late frosts[K]. The flowers emit a perfume similar to meadowsweet[11].
References
F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
Coon. N. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-87857-090-x
Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00
Gunther. E. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press 1981-00-00 ISBN 0-295-95258-X
Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169
Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
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
Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Munz. A California Flora. University of California Press 1959-00-00