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Drimys lanceolata

Common name:	Mountain Pepper	Family:	Winteraceae
Author:	(Poir.)Baill.	Botanical references:	11, 200
Synonyms:	Winterania lanceolata (Poir.), Tasmannia lanceolata ((Poir.)A.C.Sm.), Tasmannia aromatica (R.Br.), Drimys aromatica ((R.Br.)Muell. non Murray.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Australia - New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria.
Habitat:	Moist places in mountain forests and also in alpine zones to 1500 metres[152].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Winterana lanceolata[G]
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	lanceolata = lance shaped;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Magnoliales. Wintera family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen shrub growing to 4.5m by 2.5m at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 8. It is in leaf all year, in flower from April to May, and the seeds ripen from September to October. The scented flowers are dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required). The plant not is self-fertile. We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland). It requires moist soil. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Hedge, Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge.

Edible Uses

Condiment.

The fruit and seed are used as a pepper and allspice substitute[1, 2, 11, 46, 61, 105, 183]. A pungent flavour[183, 193]. The aromatic berries are edible according to one report[238], whilst another says that they taste somewhat like cinnamon.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antiscorbutic; Stomachic.

Antiscorbutic, stomachic[152].

Other Uses

Hedge; Wood.

This species makes an excellent windbreak in woodland, it is widely grown as a hedge in mild temperate regions[238].
Wood - soft, only moderate strength[154].

Cultivation details

Requires a light lime-free soil in semi-shade[200]. Prefers a fertile moist but well-drained soil[188].
A fairly hardy species, surviving very cold winters in various parts of the country so long as it is in a suitable position[120]. It tolerates temperatures down to about -15°c[184], but plants are liable to be damaged in cold winters. This species is hardier than D. winteri according to one report[120] whilst another says that it is less hardy than D. winteri[200].
All parts of the plant are very aromatic and pungent[182, 184].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[200].
Plants are usually dioecious though monoecious and hermaphrodite forms are known. Male and female plants must usually be grown if seed is required.

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a greenhouse[200]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 10 - 15 cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Approximately 60% take[78].
Layering in March/April. Takes 12 months[78].
Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth with a heel of older wood, November in a cold frame[78].

Scent

Plant: Crushed Dried: All parts of the plant are very aromatic and pungent.

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

[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 Drimys aromatica (a possible synonym).

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

References for Tasmannia lanceolata (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

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]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and 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.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. 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.

[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.

[120] ? The Plantsman. Vol. 2. 1980 - 1981. Royal Horticultural Society 1980
Excerpts from the periodical giving cultivation details and other notes on some of the useful plants including Billardiera spp, Calochortus spp, Drimys spp.

[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.

[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.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[184] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Shrubs. Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30258-2
Excellent photographs and a terse description of 1900 species and cultivars.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[193] Low. T. Wild Food Plants of Australia. Angus and Robertson. 1989 ISBN 0-207-14383-8
Well presented, clear information and good photographs. An interesting read for the casual reader as well as the enthusiast

[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.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[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

Drimys lanceolata

peter coxhead (coxhead@tasmail.com) Fri Nov 1 22:39:20 2002

Hi The information above is incorrect about this plant in regards to flowering time , seed ripening time and propogation The flowers occur in the natural state....Oct/Nov The seeds ripen in the natural state......Apr/May This may have occurred because it is naturally found in the southern hemisphere....your info above is correct for the northern hemisphere where it is not naturally found As for propogation....it is difficult to germinate because it normally needs to go through the digestive tract of a bird You can soak for a day or two in either vinegar or urine before sowing or better still use cuttings to strike....the cuttings may form a ball at the base but still not form roots ....if this occurs then gently scratch this ball and replant....roots will then strike from your scratch You could also try feeding some seeds to a duck and collect the seeds fro her droppings

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