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Holboellia grandiflora

Common name:		Family:	Lardizabalaceae
Author:	Reaub.	Botanical references:	1, 109, 266
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - W. China in Guizhou, Sichuan and Yunnan.
Habitat:	Thickets[109]. Grows over scrub and rocks in limestone ravines at altitudes of 1,300 - 1,600 metres[260]. Mixed forests, mountain slopes, scrub along valleys; 1100 - 3000 metres[266].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	flora = flowered; grandiflora = large flowered;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Ranunculales. Lardizabala family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen climber. It is hardy to zone 9. It is in leaf all year, in flower in May, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The scented flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant). We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge.

Edible Uses

Fruit.

Fruit - raw or cooked[1, 105, 109, 177]. The purple fruit can be from 7 - 12 cm long[260].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Easily grown in any fertile soil in sun or part shade[182, 200]. Plants grow best on a shady wall or when grown into a tree[200]. They succeed in sun or deep shade, but fruits are much more likely to be produced when the plants are grown in a sunny position[200, 219].
Plants are not fully hardy in Britain, they tolerate temperatures down to about -15°c[184] and can be damaged by prolonged periods below -5°c[200]. Plants do not fruit freely in this country[11]. Hand pollination would probably help[11, 166], whilst fruits are more likely to form in hot summers[166]. There is also some doubt as to whether the plants are monoecious or dioecious, it would be best to grow at least two distinct plants (not cuttings from one plant) and make sure that male and female flowers are present[K]. The flowers are sweetly and heavily scented. The males are produced on the previous years wood whilst females are produced on the current years wood[182].
Plants are fast growing[200] and climb by means of twining[182].
This genus is closely related to Stauntonia spp[200].

Propagation

Seed - we have no details on this species but suggest sowing the seed as soon as it is ripe if this is possible, otherwise as soon as you obtain it, in a warm greenhouse. 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 softwood[1].
Cuttings of half-ripe wood in late summer or autumn[188].
Layering.

Scent

Flowers: Fresh: The flowers are sweetly and heavily 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

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Lardizabalaceae.

[CHINA] 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.

[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.

[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.

[109] Wilson. E. H. Plantae Wilsonae.
Details of the palnts collected by the plant collector E. H. Wilson on his travels in China. Gives some habitats. Not for the casual reader.

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

[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.

[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.

[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.

[260] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.

[266] Flora of China 1994
On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.

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.