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Litsea umbrosa

Common name:		Family:	Lauraceae
Author:	Nees.	Botanical references:	51
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - Himalayas.
Habitat:	In ravines and along the sides of streams to elevations of 2700 metres[51, 146]. Also found in shady forests[158].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	umbrosa = shady;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Laurales. Laurel family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen tree. . The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 1/5 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.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antipruritic; Skin.

The oil from the fruit has been used externally to treat itchiness and other skin complaints[146, 158].

Other Uses

Oil.

An oil obtained from the wood is used medicinally and for lighting[146, 158].
Wood - moderately hard. Used for construction[158].

Cultivation details

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain. However, judging by its native range, it could succeed outdoors at least in the milder areas of the country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.

Propagation

Seed -

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

References for the family Lauraceae.

[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

[51] Polunin. O. and Stainton. A. Flowers of the Himalayas. Oxford Universtiy Press 1984
A very readable and good pocket guide (if you have a very large pocket!) to many of the wild plants in the Himalayas. Gives many examples of plant uses.

[146] Gamble. J. S. A Manual of Indian Timbers. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh 1972
Written last century, but still a classic, giving a lot of information on the uses and habitats of Indian trees. Not for the casual reader.

[158] Gupta. B. L. Forest Flora of Chakrata, Dehra Dun and Saharanpur. Forest Research Institute Press 1945
A good flora for the middle Himalayan forests, sparsly illustrated. Not really for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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Bibliography

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

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Litsea+umbrosa
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Litsea+umbrosa

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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.