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Bursaria spinosa

Common name:	Christmas Bush	Family:	Pittosporaceae
Author:	Cav.	Botanical references:	11, 154, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Australia - New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria.
Habitat:	Forests and open places, but avoiding arid areas[152], in loamy soils, stony hills and on riverbanks[154], probably at its best near the coast[167].
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.
	Kurwan [H], Native Olive [H], Sweet Box [H],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	spinosa = spiny;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Rosales. Pittosporum family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen shrub growing to 4.5m. It is hardy to zone 8. It is in leaf all year, in flower in August. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees. It is noted for attracting wildlife. We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Hedge, Woodland, Sunny Edge, By Walls, By South Wall, By West Wall.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Skin.

Skin. The leaves contain the coumarin 'aesculin' - this is used in the treatment of lupus by irradiation and as a screen from ultra-violet light in suntan lotions[152].

Other Uses

Hedge; Weather protection; Wood.

Leaves contain the coumarin 'aesculin' which is used in the treatment of lupus by irradiation and as an ultraviolet radiation screen in suntan lotions[152].
Plants can be grown as a hedge in mild climates[167].
Wood - tough, hard, close grained, easily worked. Used for tool handles, cabinet making etc[154].

Cultivation details

Requires a well-drained moisture retentive soil in full sun[200].
This species only succeeds outdoors in Britain in the mildest areas of the country[11, 182]. Plants are hardy to at least -7°c in Australian gardens[157], though this cannot be translated directly to British gardens due to our cooler summers and longer, colder and wetter winters. They require a warm south or south-west facing wall in Britain, succeeding in areas where frosts are light and short lived[200].
A good bee plant[167], the flowers are sweetly fragrant[219, 245].
Very ornamental[1].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. It does not require pre-treatment. When large enough to handle, prick the plants out into individual pots. Grow on the young plants for at least the first winter in a greenhouse and plant out in late spring or early summer. Consider giving the plants some protection from winter cold for at least their first winter outdoors.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[219]. They require a little bottom heat if they are to root well[245].

Scent

Flowers: Fresh: The flowers are deliciously and sweetly scented.

Suppliers

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

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names 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 Pittosporaceae.

[CHINA] Draft Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from 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

[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.

[152] Lassak. E. V. and McCarthy. T. Australian Medicinal Plants.
A very good and readable guide to the subject.

[154] Ewart. A. J. Flora of Victoria.
A flora of eastern Australia, it is rather short on information that is useful to the plant project.

[157] Wrigley. J. W. and Fagg. M. Australian Native Plants. Collins. (Australia) 1988 ISBN 0-7322-0021-0
A lovely book, written in order to encourage Australian gardeners to grow their native plants. A little bit of information for the plant project.

[167] Holliday. I. and Hill. R. A Field Guide to Australian Trees. Frederick Muller Ltd. 1974 ISBN 0-85179-627-3
A well illustrated and very readable book, but it does not contain much information for the plant project.

[182] Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2
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. 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.

[219] Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. Gardening on Walls Collins 1983 ISBN 0-00-219220-0
A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

Readers Comments

Bursaria spinosa

David Felglow (accounts@felglow.com.au) Mon, 5 Apr 1999 21:45:23

Bursaria spinosa is no more a Christmas bush than an orange tree.

Bursaria spinosa

rich (pfaf) Tue Jan 4 17:21:52 2000

testing

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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.
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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.