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Cephalotaxus harringtonia - (Knight. ex J.Forbes.)K.Koch.

Japanese Plum Yew

Author	(Knight. ex J.Forbes.)K.Koch.	Botanical references	11, 200, 275
Family	Cephalotaxaceae	Genus	Cephalotaxus
Synonyms	Taxus harringtonia - Knight. ex J.Forbes.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	E. Asia - Japan.
Habitat	An understorey shrub in woodlands[109, 200]. In temperate deciduous forests at elevations of 600 - 1000 metres[275].
Edibility Rating	5 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	0 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen Shrub growing to 5m by 3m at a slow rate.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Deep Shade; Hedge;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit; Seed.

Edible Uses: Oil.

Fruit. - raw or cooked. About 2 - 3cm long[200]. The fruit of this plant is said to be astringent and inedible even when fully ripe[200]. However, several of its sub-species produce a very nice sweet fruit - see cultivation details for more information. Seed - raw or cooked[81, 105]. Oily[1] with a slightly resinous flavour[K]. The seed is up to 15mm long.

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

None known

Other Uses

Hedge; Oil.

An oil obtained from the seed is used as an illuminant[105]. Very tolerant of pruning, this plant makes a very good hedge in shady positions[200].

Cultivation details

Prefers a moist well-drained sandy soil but succeeds in most soils though it dislikes dry gravelly or chalky soils[1, 200]. Prefers a position in semi-shade but tolerates full shade[11, 81] and it also succeeds but does not usually thrive in full sun[200]. It grows very well in the mild wet coastal region of W. Scotland where it succeeds even in full sun[200]. Requires a humid sheltered site[200], strongly disliking very exposed positions[1]. Although the dormant plant is very cold-hardy, the young growth in spring, even on mature plants, is frost-tender and so it is best to grow the plants in a position sheltered from the early morning sun[K]. The Japanese plum yew is a very slow growing tree[185] with an excellent potential as a food crop in Britain. It generally has a large crop of fruit and seeds, these are often eaten in Japan. In addition, the seeds seem to be immune to the predations of squirrels, the seed on trees growing at Kew Botanical gardens being untouched even though virtually every other nut tree there has its crop destroyed[K]. There has been some confusion in the naming of this species. Some botanists have separated off C. drupacea as a separate species, though most nowadays include it as a subspecies of this plant as C. harringtonia drupacea. (Sieb.&Zucc.)Koidzumi., differing from the species in its shortly pedunculate male catkins[81]. In cultivation it is often known as the variety 'Fastigiata'[81]. Another subspecies, C. harringtonia nana. (Nakai.)Rehd. is a small spreading shrub to 2 metres, spreading by means of suckers[81, 200]. This form is said to have the best fruit of this genus[200], it is a very hardy plant, succeeding as far north as S. Sweden and Nova Scotia[200]. Plants are dioecious, but female plants sometimes produce fruits and infertile seeds in the absence of any male plants[11]. However, at least one male plant for every five females should be grown if you are growing the plants for fruit and seed. Plants have also been known to change sex[81]. Male cones are produced in the axils of the previous year's leaves, whilst female cones are borne at the base of branchlets[200].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[113], it should then germinate in the following spring[K]. A hard seedcoat can delay germination, especially in if the seed is not sown as soon as it is ripe[81, K]. Stored seed should be cold-stratified and sown in a cold frame in the spring[200]. Germination can take 18 months or more. Prick out the seedlings as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow them on for at least their first winter under cover. Plant out in late spring after the last expected frosts. Greenwood cuttings of terminal shoots, August/September in a humid cold frame[1, 200]. Difficult[113].

Cultivars

No entries have been made for this species as yet.

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: Vegtable Oils, Woodland Garden Plants.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[81] Rushforth. K. Conifers. Christopher Helm 1987 ISBN 0-7470-2801-X
Deals with conifers that can be grown outdoors in Britain. Good notes on cultivation and a few bits about plant uses.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[109] Wilson. E. H. Plantae Wilsonae. 0
Details of the palnts collected by the plant collector E. H. Wilson on his travels in China. Gives some habitats. Not for the casual reader.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[185] Mitchell. A. F. Conifers in the British Isles. HMSO 1975 ISBN 0-11-710012-9
A bit out of date (first published in 1972), but an excellent guide to how well the various species of conifers grow in Britain giving locations of trees.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[275] Flora of Japan 0
An on-line version of the flora - an excellent resource.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Cephalotaxus harringtonia

Dorothy Parker Sat Mar 8 2008

If we plant this as a hedge and it is being clipped could the cuttings on the ground be poisonous for chooks?

Cephalotaxus harringtonia

Dorothy Parker Thu Mar 13 2008

Son is planting 30 Taxus Cephalotaxus Harringtonia for hedges. I am concerned as there are chooks there could it poison the chooks??

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