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Epigaea asiatica

Common name:		Family:	Ericaceae
Author:	Maxim.	Botanical references:	11, 58, 200
Synonyms:	Parapyrola trichocarpa
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - C. and N. Japan.
Habitat:	Open woods in the mountains[58]. In forest margins at elevations of 100 - 1700 metres[275].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Shan P'I P'A [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	asiatica = Asian;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Ericales. Heath family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen shrub growing to 0.1m by 0.5m . It is hardy to zone 4. It is in leaf all year, in flower from April to May. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soil. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Ground Cover.

Edible Uses

Fruit.

Fruit[58, 105, 177]. No more details are given. The fruit is about 10mm in diameter[200].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Ground cover.

A ground cover plant for a shady position[188], forming a carpet of growth[208]. Plants should be spaced about 25cm apart each way[208]. This species is probably not very worthwhile for ground cover in Britain because of its difficulty to cultivate[208].

Cultivation details

Requires an open lime-free humus-rich soil and shade from direct sunlight[11, 200], succeeding also in deep shade[182]. Grows well in the shade of rhododendrons and other calcifuge shrubs[245].
A difficult plant to grow in cultivation[200], though it is easier than E. repens[182].
The flower buds require a period of chilling to about 2°c before they will open[200]. The flowers are sweetly scented[245]. They are produced in terminal racemes on the previous year's shoots[275].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a shady position in a cold frame[200]. Another report says that the seed requires no pre-treatment and can be sown in late winter in a cold frame[113]. Surface sow and place the pot in light shade, do not allow it to dry out[113]. The seed usually germinates in 3 - 5 weeks[113]. As soon as they are large enough to handle, pot up the seedlings into individual pots. Be very careful since they strongly resent root disturbance. Grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse and plant them out in their permanent positions in the late spring of their second years growth.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[200].Take the cutting with a part of the previous year's growth[113]. (This report is unclear as to whether it means a heel of older wood or just a small section of older wood[K])
Plants self-layer and can be divided in the spring but this must be done with great care since they deeply resent root disturbance[200].

Scent

Flowers: Fresh: The flowers are 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

[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 Ericaceae.

[CHINA] Draft Data for parts of family 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

[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.

[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.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
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. 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.

[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.

[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.

[208] Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover J. M. Dent & Sons 1990 ISBN 0-460-12609-1
An excellent detailled book on the subject, very comprehensive.

[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

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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

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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.