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Holodiscus discolor

Holodiscus discolor: Flower
Photo by Derrick Ditchburn.

Common name:	Creambush	Family:	Rosaceae
Author:	(Pursh.)Maxim.	Botanical references:	11, 71, 200
Synonyms:	Spiraea discolor (Pursh.), Spiraea ariaefolia (Sm.), Sericotheca discolor ((Pursh) Rydb.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Western N. America.
Habitat:	Woods and rocky places in California[71]. Streambanks and moist woods, canyons and hills from valleys to around 2,100 metres[212].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	H. boursieri[B,P] H. discolor ssp. franciscanus[B,P] H. discolor var. ariaefolius[G] H. discolor var. delnortensis[B,P] H. discolor var. franciscanus[B,P] H. discolor var. glabrescens[B,P] H. dumosus ssp. saxicola[B,P] H. dumosus var. australis[B,P] H. dumosus var. glabrescens[B,P] H. glabrescens[B,P] H. microphyllus[B,P] H. microphyllus var. glabrescens[B,P] H. microphyllus var. sericeus[B,P] H. microphyllus var. typicus[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Hillside Oceanspray [B], Ocean Spray [DEN1], Oceanspray [FEIS,P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	discolor = 2 colors;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Rosales. Rose family

Physical Characteristics

A decidious shrub growing to 3m by 3m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 5. It is in flower in July, and the seeds ripen in October. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 2/5 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 semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

Fruit.

Fruit - raw or cooked[106, 177, 183]. Small and dry[161, 183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Blood purifier; Ophthalmic; Poultice; Skin; Tonic.

The seeds are a blood purifier[257]. An infusion has been used in the treatment of smallpox, black measles and chickenpox[257].
The blossoms have been used in the treatment of diarrhoea[257].
The inner bark is tonic[257]. An infusion has been used as an eyewash[257]. The bark can be dried, powdered and then used with oil as a dressing on burns[257].
A poultice of the leaves has been applied to sore lips and sore feet[257]. A powder of the dried leaves has been used as a dressing on sores[257]. A decoction of the leaves has been used in the treatment of influenza[257].

Other Uses

Wood.

Wood - very hard. Used for making small tools, roasting tongs etc[118]. It does not burn easily[118].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in a good loamy soil that does not become too dry in summer, in full sun or light shade[200].
A fast-growing plant[188], it thrives in thin woodland[11].
A very ornamental plant[1, 11], when fully dormant it is hardy to about -15°c[200], though the young growth in spring can be damaged by late frosts[K].
The flowers emit a perfume similar to meadowsweet[245].

Propagation

The seed requires 4 months stratification at 4°c. It is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Stored seed should be sown as early in the year as possible. 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 with a heel, July/August in a frame. Can be difficult[200].
Layering in spring. Easy[200].

Scent

Flowers: Fresh: The flowers emit a perfume similar to meadowsweet.

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

[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.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
Images from the CalPhoto database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
[DEN] Data _ Photos (Good Identification info) from the Virginia Tech's Dendrology Deptarments' Tree Fact Sheets.
[FEIS] Data (Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.

References for holodiscus discolor (a possible synonym).

[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures
[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures

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.

[71] Munz. A California Flora. University of California Press 1959
An excellent flora but no pictures. Not for the casual reader.

[106] Coon. N. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press 1975 ISBN 0-87857-090-x
Interesting reading but short on detail.

[118] Gunther. E. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press 1981 ISBN 0-295-95258-X
A small book, it is a good guide to useful plants in Western N. America.

[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
A comprehensive but very terse guide. 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.

[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.

[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.

[212] Craighead. J., Craighead. F. and Davis. R. A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers The Riverside Press 1963 ISBN 63-7093
Excellent little pocket guide to the area, covering 590 species and often giving details of their uses.

[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.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

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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