Practical
Plants

Melicytus ramiflorus

Whitey Wood

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Melicytus genus in the family Violaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

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

Uses

Edible uses

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

Fruit[7][1][4]. We have no more details except that the fruit is abundantly produced if male and female trees are grown[2].

Plant part
Fruit

Material uses

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

A charcoal is produced from the wood[10][12].

Product or use
Charcoal

Environment

Range
New Zealand.
Habitat
Lowland to montane light forest and forest margins, North, South and Stewart Islands[9].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 9+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

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

Seed - sow as soon as it is ripe or in early spring in a greenhouse[8]. 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[13]. Consider giving them some protection from the cold for their first few winters outdoors. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 10cm long with a heel, June/July in a frame[13]. Division of suckers in the dormant season[3].

Cultivation

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

Requires a sunny position in a well-drained moderately fertile soil[8]. This species is not very hardy in Britain, it requires the protection of a sunny wall even in the mildest areas of the country[11][5]. Some trees in Penzance in Cornwall were 6 metres tall in 1930 and withstood temperatures down to -10°c[2]. Some provenances from New Zealand should withstand at least -5°c, more if they are grown in a sunny sheltered position[8]. Pruning is tolerated if it is required[6]. Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if fruit and seed is required.

References

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

  3. ? Encyclopaedia Britannica. 15th edition.

    ↩

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

    ↩

  5. Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2

    ↩

  6. Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

  9. Allan. H. H. Flora of New Zealand. Government Printer, Wellington. 1961-00-00

    ↩

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

    ↩

  11. Thurston. Trees and Shrubs in Cornwall.

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

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