Practical
Plants

Thladiantha dubia

Red Hailstone

a perennial woody member of the Thladiantha genus in the family Cucurbitaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
vigorous
Height
2 m
Fertility
self sterile
Flower type
dioecious

Uses

Edible uses

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

Fruit - raw or cooked. Succulent[7][3]. The oblong fruit is about 4cm long and 2.5cm wide[8]. Young plant - cooked[2][4]. Root[4]. No further details are given.

Plant part
Fruit
Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Root

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 is a cardiac tonic and an astringent[4][9]. The root is alterative, cholagogue, diuretic and galactogogue[4][9].

Product or use
Alterative
Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Cardiotonic
Product or use
Cholagogue
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Galactogogue

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Climber

Environment

Range
E. Asia - N.E. China, Korea. Naturalized in C. and S.E. Europe[11].
Habitat
Riparian meadows and sandy coasts[12].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 7+
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 spring in a greenhouse[K]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots of fairly rich soil and plant them out after the last expected frosts. Division of tubers in spring or autumn. The tubers can be harvested in the autumn and stored in a cool frost-free place overwinter then planted out in the spring[K].

Cultivation

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

Succeeds in almost any soil that is well-drained[1][8]. Prefers a fertile soil in a sunny but sheltered position[6]. Hardy to about -20°c[5]. Although the plant is hardy, it grows better on a sunny wall[1]. A fast-growing plant, climbing by means of tendrils[6]. It grows well on fences etc and can be used as a screen over unsightly objects, though it dies back to the roots each winter[10]. The young shoots require protection (the report does not specify from what)[5]. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if fruit and seed is required.

References

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

  4. Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  5. Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30936-9

    ↩1↩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

    ↩1↩2

  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

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

    ↩1↩2

  10. Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0 460 86048 8

    ↩

  11. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

    ↩

  12. Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968-00-00

    ↩

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