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Platycarya strobilacea

Common name:		Family:	Juglandaceae
Author:	Siebold.& Zucc.	Botanical references:	11, 200, 266
Synonyms:	Petrophiloides strobilacea ((Siebold.& Zucc.)Reid.& Chandler.), Fortunaea chinensis (Lindl.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - China, Korea.
Habitat:	Thickets and woods from sea level to 1300 metres[109]. Mixed forests on mountain slopes, sometimes on limestone, at elevations of 400 - 2,200 metres[266].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Huai Hsiang [E], Tou Lo P'O Hsiang [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	strobilacea = cone like
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Juglandales. Walnut family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China

Physical Characteristics

A decidious tree growing to 12m by 12m . It is hardy to zone 7. It is in flower from June to August. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant). We rate it 1/5 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 semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Canopy.

Edible Uses

Leaves.

Young leaves - cooked[177]. A famine food, only used when all else fails[179].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Dye Fuel Incense.

A black dye is obtained from the fruits. It is used for dyeing cloth[46, 61, 109].
A black dye is obtained from the bark. It is used for dyeing nets[46, 61]. (It quite possibly contains tannin which will also help to preserve the nets[K].)
The root is very fragrant when it is burnt. It is used in baths[178].
The wood is a good fuel[178].

Cultivation details

Requires a deep moist humus-rich loam and a sunny sheltered position[200].
Trees are hardy to about -12° c in Britain[200], but they are not usually a success in our climate[1], preferring a warm dry continental climate[200]. A tree in Hampshire is growing and fruiting well[11]. A tree at Kew flowered heavily in the hot summer of 1989[K].

Propagation

The seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Stored seed requires a period of cold stratification[200]. 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. Consider giving the plants some protection from the cold for at least their first winter outdoors.
Layering[200].

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.
[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 Juglandaceae.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[178] Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre
A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.

[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.

[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.

[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.
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?Platycarya+strobilacea
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