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Griselinia littoralis

Common name:		Family:	Cornaceae
Author:	Raoul.	Botanical references:	11, 44, 200
Synonyms:	Pukateria littoralis (Raoul.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	New Zealand.
Habitat:	Lowland to montane forests in North, South and Stewart Islands[44].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	littoralis = of the sea shore; littoral;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Cornales. Dogwood family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen shrub growing to 6m by 5m at a medium rate. It is hardy to zone 7 and is frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower in May. The 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 2/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and 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. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Hedge, Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

Fruit.

Fruit - a bitter flavour[173].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Hedge; Wood.

Grows well by the sea, making a good hedge that tolerates maritime exposure[11, 29, 49]. Plants are very amenable to trimming[200], they are best cut in early summer[188] and can be cut right back into old wood if required. A slow-growing plant, but it makes a nice dense hedge[K].
Wood - very durable, firm, dense but slightly brittle. Used for ship building, railway sleepers etc[46, 61, 123].

Cultivation details

Prefers a rich light loam in sun or semi-shade[200]. Tolerates chalky soils[11]. Plants are very tolerant of strong maritime winds[182] but they can be damaged by cold dry winds.
Tolerating temperatures down to about -10°c, this species is somewhat tender in most parts of Britain[11] though it usually regrows if cut back by frost[200]. The young shoots in spring are often cut back by late frosts[K].
Very tolerant of root disturbance, it transplants well even when quite large though it would then require staking at first when growing in exposed positions[166].
A number of cultivars have been developed for their ornamental value[182, 200].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[200].
Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required. It self-sows abundantly in the milder areas of Britain if both sexes are grown[11].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as ripe in a greenhouse. It can also be sown in the spring in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle and grow on for at least their first winter in a greenhouse. Plant out in late spring after the last expected frosts and give some protection for their first winter outdoors.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood 7 cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Keep the foliage moist. Pot up in August and overwinter in a sheltered position, planting out in late spring after the last expected frosts[78].
Cuttings of mature wood, 7 - 10 cm with a heel, October/November in a frame. High percentage[78].

Cultivars

'': There are some named forms for this species, but these have been developed for their ornamental value and not for their other uses. Unless you particularly require the special characteristics of any of these cultivars, we would generally recommend that you grow the natural species for its useful properties. We have, therefore, not listed the cultivars in this database[K].

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 the family Cornaceae.

[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

[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.

[29] Shepherd. F.W. Hedges and Screens. Royal Horticultural Society. 1974 ISBN 0900629649
A small but informative booklet giving details of all the hedging plants being grown in the R.H.S. gardens at Wisley in Surrey.

[44] Allan. H. H. Flora of New Zealand. Government Printer, Wellington. 1961
The standard work, in 3 volumes though only the first two are of interest to the plant project. Very good on habitats.

[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.

[49] Arnold-Forster. Shrubs for the Milder Counties.
Trees and shrubs that grow well in &ndndndnd and other mild areas of Britain. Fairly good, a standard reference book.

[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.

[123] ? Encyclopaedia Britannica. 15th edition.
It contains a few things of interest to the plant project.

[166] Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent 1990
A good book on plants that you didn't know could be grown outdoors in Britain.

[173] Crowe. A. Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. Hodder and Stoughton 1990 ISBN 0-340-508302
A very well written and illustrated book based on the authors own experiments with living on a native diet.

[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.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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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.