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Ampelopsis japonica

Common name:		Family:	Vitaceae
Author:	(Thunb.)Makino.	Botanical references:	11, 200
Synonyms:	Vitis serjaniifolia ((Regel.)Maxim.), Paullina japonica (Thunb.), Ampelopsis serjaniifolia (Bunge.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea
Habitat:	Mountain sides[147].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Byaku-Ren [E],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Rhamnales. Grape family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China

Physical Characteristics

A decidious climber. It is hardy to zone 7 and is frost tender. It is in flower from July to August. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers medium (loamy) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Dappled Shade, Walls.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Anodyne; Antibacterial; Antifungal; Depurative; Febrifuge; Vulnerary.

The roots are anodyne, antibacterial, anticonvulsive, antifungal, bitter, cooling, depurative, expectorant, febrifuge and vulnerary[147, 176, 218]. A decoction of the roots is used in the treatment of tuberculous cervical nodes, bleeding from haemorrhoids and burn injuries[147].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Prefers a deep rich loam in a warm sheltered position in sun or semi-shade[11, 200]. Requires plenty of root room[11].
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].
Plants rarely produce fruit in Britain except after a long hot summer[200].
Plants are occasionally cultivated in Japan for medicinal purposes[58].
The shoots have sticky pads and are self-supporting on walls[11]. Another report says that plants climb by means of coiling tendrils but large plants often need tying in to support the weight of foliage[200].

Propagation

Seed - sow in pots in a cold frame in the autumn or stratify for 6 weeks at 5°c and sow in the spring[200]. Germination can be quite slow, sometimes taking more than a year. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. When they are more than 20cm tall, they can be planted out into their permanent positions, preferably in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 7 - 10cm long, July/August in a frame[78].
Cuttings or eyes in late autumn or winter. Either place them in the ground in a greenhouse or cold frame, or put them in pots. An eye cutting is where you have just one bud at the top and a short length of stem with a small part of the bark removed. These normally root well and grow away vigorously, being ready to plant into their permanent positions the following autumn.
Layering into pots in late summer. Partially sever the stem in spring and then lift the new plants in the autumn[78].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Vitaceae.

To be included in the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

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. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[147] ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X
A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.

[176] Yeung. Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, Los Angeles 1985
A very good Chinese herbal.

[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.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Ampelopsis+japonica
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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.