|
Habitats
|
|
|
Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; not Deep Shade; Hedge; North Wall. In. East Wall. In. South Wall. In. West Wall. In.
|
|
Edible Uses
|
|
Edible Parts: Fruit; Seed.
Edible Uses:
Fruit - raw or cooked[177]. A reasonable size, it is about 20mm long and 13mm wide although it does have a large seed[K]. The fully ripe fruit has a very rich flavour and makes pleasant tasting with a slight acidity[K]. The fruit should be deep red in colour and very soft when it is fully ripe, otherwise it will be astringent[K]. The flavour improves further if the fruit is stored for a day or two after being picked. The fruit ripens intermittently over a period of about 6 weeks from early to mid April until May[K]. Seed - raw or cooked. It can be eaten with the fruit though the seed case is rather fibrous[K]. The taste is vaguely like peanuts[K].
|
|
|
|
|
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.
Cancer.
The fruit of many members of this genus is a very rich source of vitamins and minerals, especially in vitamins A, C and E, flavanoids and other bio-active compounds. It is also a fairly good source of essential fatty acids, which is fairly unusual for a fruit. It is being investigated as a food that is capable of reducing the incidence of cancer and also as a means of halting or reversing the growth of cancers[214].
|
|
|
Other Uses
|
Hedge; Hedge.
Plants can be grown as a hedge in very exposed positions, tolerating maritime exposure. The plants provide a very good protection from the wind, they are very resistant to damage by salt winds and are also tolerant of regular trimming[75]. They have a strong vigorous growth and are faster growing than E. macrophylla[75, 200]. Because they fix atmospheric nitrogen, they make good companion plants and improve the growth of neighbouring species[K]. They can be planted in the line of an old shelterbelt of trees that is becoming bare at the base and will in time fill up the empty spaces and climb into the bottom parts of the trees[K].
|
|
|
Cultivation details
|
|
|
A very easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils that are well-drained[11, 200]. Prefers a soil that is only moderately fertile, succeeding in poor soils and in dry soils[11, 200]. A drought resistant plant once established, it can be grown on top of Cornish hedges (drystone walls with earth between two vertical layers of stones). It is very tolerant of shade and grows well under trees[200]. Plants are very tolerant of maritime exposure, growing well right by the coast[K]. Plants are hardy to about -20°c, but they can be deciduous in very cold winters[200]. Fruiting as it does in early April to May, this plant has excellent potential as a commercial fruit crop in Britain. The fruit is of a reasonable size and when fully ripe is very acceptable for dessert[K]. It should be fairly easy to selectively breed for improved fruit size and flavour[K]. Not all plants bear many fruits, though many specimens have been seen that produce very heavy crops on a regular basis[K]. Since this is a hybrid species, yields may be improved by growing a selection of cultivars or one of the parent plants nearby for cross pollination. E. pungens is perhaps the best candidate for this and its cultivar E. pungens 'Variegata' has been seen on a number of occasions with good crops of fruit next to E. x ebbingei plants that are also laden with fruit[K]. The cultivar E. x ebbingei 'Gilt Edge' is also probably a good pollinator[K]. Other cultivars worth looking at are 'Salcombe Seedling', which is said to flower more abundantly than the type[200] and 'Limelight', which has been seen with a good crop of fruits even on small bushes[K]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[200]. An excellent companion plant, when grown in orchards it can increase yields from the fruit trees by up to 10%. Plants produce very aromatic flowers in late autumn and early winter[182]. This species is notably resistant to honey fungus[88, 200]. Sometimes whole branches die out for no apparent reason. This happens most frequently when it is grafted onto E. multiflora[182]. These branches should be removed from the plant.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Propagation
|
|
|
Seed - this is a hybrid and it will not breed true from seed. If this is not a problem, then the seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[78]. It should germinate freely within 4 weeks, though it may take 18 months[K]. Stored seed can be very slow to germinate, often taking more than 18 months. A warm stratification for 4 weeks followed by 12 weeks cold stratification can help[98]. The seed usually (eventually) germinates quite well[78]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pot as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant out when they are at least 15cm tall. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 7 - 10cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Rather slow, but you usually get a good percentage rooting[78]. June is the best time to take cuttings[202]. Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, 10 - 12cm with a heel, November in a frame. Leave for 12 months. Fair to good percentage[78]. Layering in September/October. Takes 12 months[78].
|
 You can download this page as a PDF
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Botanical References
|
|
|
11200
|
|
|
|
|
|
Links / References
|
|
|
[K] Ken Fern Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
|
[11]Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement.
|
|
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
|
|
|
[75]Rosewarne experimental horticultural station. Shelter Trees and Hedges.
|
|
A small booklet packed with information on trees and shrubs for hedging and shelterbelts in exposed maritime areas.
|
|
|
[78]Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers.
|
|
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
|
|
|
[88]RHS. The Garden. Volume 112.
|
|
Snippets of information from the magazine of the RHS. In particular, there are articles on plants that are resistant to honey fungus, oriental vegetables, Cimicifuga spp, Passiflora species and Cucurbits.
|
|
|
[98]Gordon. A. G. and Rowe. D. C. f. Seed Manual for Ornamental Trees and Shrubs.
|
|
Very comprehensive guide to growing trees and shrubs from seed. Not for the casual reader.
|
|
|
[177]Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption.
|
|
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
|
|
|
[182]Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos.
|
|
Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.
|
|
|
[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
|
|
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
|
|
|
[202]Davis. B. Climbers and Wall Shrubs.
|
|
Contains information on 2,000 species and cultivars, giving details of cultivation requirements. The text is terse but informative.
|
|
|
[214]Matthews. V. The New Plantsman. Volume 1, 1994.
|
|
A quarterly magazine, it has articles on Himalayacalamus hookerianus, hardy Euphorbias and an excellent article on Hippophae spp.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
QR Code
|
|
|
|
What's this?
|
|
This is a QR code (short for Quick Response) which gives fast-track access to our website pages. QR Codes are barcodes that can be read by mobile phone (smartphone) cameras. This QR Code is unique to this page. All plant pages have their own unique code. For more information about QR Codes click here.
|
|
1. Copy and print the QR code to a plant label, poster, book, website, magazines, newspaper etc and even t-shirts.
|
|
2. Smartphone users scan the QR Code which automatically takes them to the webpage the QR Code came from.
|
|
3. Smartphone users quickly have information on a plant directly for the pfaf.org website on their phone.
|
|
|
|
Rate This Plant
|
|
|
Please rate this plants for how successful you have found it to be. You will need to be logged in to do this. Our intention is not to create a list of 'popular' plants but rather to highlight plants that may be rare and unusual and that have been found to be useful by website users. This hopefully will encourage more people to use plants that they possibly would not have considered before.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Add a comment/link
|
|
|
If you have important information about this plant that may help other users please add a comment or link below. Only comments or links that are felt to be directly relevant to a plant will be included. If you think a comment/link or information contained on this page is inaccurate or misleading we would welcome your feedback at admin@pfaf.org. If you have questions about a plant please use the Forum on this website as we do not have the resources to answer questions ourselves.
* Please note: the comments by website users are not necessarily those held by PFAF and may give misleading or inaccurate information.
|
Subject : Elaeagnus x ebbingei
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|