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Cyrilla racemiflora

Common name:	Leatherwood	Family:	Cyrillaceae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	11, 82, 200
Synonyms:	Cyrilla parviflora (Raf.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Southern North America - Virginia to Florida and Texas.
Habitat:	Rich shaded river bottoms, the borders of sandy swamps and shallow ponds of the coastal pine-belt[82]. Also found on high, sandy, exposed ridges rising above streams[82].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	C. antillana[B]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	American Cyrilla USA [H], Cyrilla [FEIS], Granado [E], Leatherwood UK [H], Palo Colorado [E], Swamp Cyrilla [DEN1], Swamp Titi [B,P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	flora = flowered
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Ericales. Cyrilla family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Dominican Republic

Physical Characteristics

A decidious shrub growing to 1.2m by 2m at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 5. It is in leaf from April to October, in flower from August to October, and the seeds ripen from September to November. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees. We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Astringent Styptic.

The spongy bark at the base of the trunk is pliable, absorbent and astringent. It has been recommended as a styptic[82].

Other Uses

Wood.

Wood - heavy, hard, close-grained, not strong[82].

Cultivation details

Requires a sunny position and a humus-rich soil[200]. Thrives in a mixture of peat and loam[11]. Prefers a circum-neutral or slightly acid, moisture-retentive soil[200].
This species has a wide distribution in the wild, extending southwards from South-eastern North America to Brazil. An evergreen small tree in the warmer parts of its range, only those forms from the most northerly part of its range can be grown outdoors in Britain. These northerly forms are deciduous, though may remain evergreen in mild winters[11, 200]. They usually take the form of a small shrub, but can sometimes become a small tree. They succeed outdoors in the south of Britain, though can be damaged or killed in severe winters[11].
The flowers are produced at the base of the current years growth[11, 200].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse[200]. As soon as they are large enough to handle, prick out the seedlings into individual pots. Grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter, planting them out in early summer when there is no danger of frost. Give them some protection from the cold for their first winter outdoors.
Cuttings of softwood, spring in a frame[200].
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[200].
Root cuttings in the spring[200].

Suppliers

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

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[DEN] Data _ Photos (Good Identification info) from the Virginia Tech's Dendrology Deptarments' Tree Fact Sheets.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
[FEIS] Data (Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.
[FEIS] Data (Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

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

References

[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.

[82] Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965 ISBN 0-486-20278-X
Two volumes, a comprehensive listing of N. American trees though a bit out of date now. Good details on habitats, some details on plant uses. Not really for the casual reader.

[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.

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?Cyrilla+racemiflora
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Cyrilla+racemiflora

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