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Photinia villosa

Common name:		Family:	Rosaceae
Author:	(Thunb.)DC.	Botanical references:	11, 200, 266
Synonyms:	Pourthiaea villosa ((Thunb.)Decne.), Photinia variabilis (Hemsl.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea.
Habitat:	Woods in W. Hupeh[109]. Low mountains and hills all over Japan[58]. Slopes, forests, thickets, streamsides, roadsides and waste places at elevations 100 - 1600 metres[266].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Crataegus villosa[G] Pourthiaea villosa var. longipes[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Oriental Photinia [B,P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	villosa = hairy;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Rosales. Rose family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Us

Physical Characteristics

A decidious shrub growing to 5m by 5m . It is hardy to zone 4. It is in flower in May, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid and neutral 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; Leaves.

Fruit[177]. No more details are given. The fruit is about 8mm in diameter[200], though occasionally forms with fruits up to 16mm are seen[266].
Leaves - cooked. A famine food, it is only used when all else fails[179].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Wood.

The wood is hard and heavy, suitable for making furniture and other small articles[266].

Cultivation details

Requires a well-drained fertile soil in a sheltered position in sun or light shade[1, 200]. Prefers a warm soil that is not too heavy or close[11]. Dislikes calcareous soils[11, 182, 200].
A very ornamental[1] and polymorphic species[58], there are a number of sub-species[200]. P. villosa sinica. Rehd.&Wils. is a taller growing form, to 8 metres, and has larger fruits than the type, up to 12mm in diameter[200].
Plants are susceptible to fireblight[200].
The flowers have a hawthorn-like scent[245].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[200].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in the autumn. Stored seed will probably require stratification and should be sown as early in the year as possible[78]. Germination is usually good[78]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Basal cuttings in a frame[200]. Harvest the shoots with plenty of underground stem when they are about 8 - 10cm above the ground. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 7 - 10cm with a heel, July/August in a frame[11, 78]. They take about 2 months to root and should be overwintered in a greenhouse, planting out in late spring[78]. Fair to good percentage[78].
Cuttings of almost ripe side shoots, 7 - 12cm with a heel, October/November in a cold frame[78]. Lift the following autumn and plant in their permanent positions[78].
Layering in autumn. Partially sever the layer about 12 months later and lift in the following spring. High percentage[200].

Scent

Flowers: Fresh: The flowers have a hawthorn-like scent[245].

Suppliers

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

Web References

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[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.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[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.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but 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.

[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.

[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.

[179] Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977
A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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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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
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This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Photinia+villosa
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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.