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Prinsepia utilis

Common name:		Family:	Rosaceae
Author:	Royle.	Botanical references:	11, 51, 266
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - Himalayas from Pakistan to W. China.
Habitat:	Forest, scrub and hedges, 1200 - 2700 metres[51]. Usually found in sunny open places on dry hillsides near any spring or water-course[146, 158].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	utilis = useful
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Rosales. Rose family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	India Nepal

Physical Characteristics

A decidious shrub growing to 3.5m by 3m . . It is in flower in February, and the seeds ripen in June. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

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

Hedge, Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

Fruit Oil.

Fruit - raw or cooked[1, 2, 177, 183]. Liked by children[272]. Sloe-like[146], it has rather an astringent flavour[K]. The fruit is up to 17mm long and contains a single large seed[K].
An edible oil is obtained from the seed[2, 51, 105, 146]. It is used in cooking[183, 272].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Miscellany Rubefacient Skin.

An oil from the seed is rubefacient[240]. It is applied externally as a treatment for rheumatism and muscular pain caused by hard work[240]. The oil is also applied to the forehead and temples in the treatment of coughs and colds[272].
The heated oilcake is applied as a poultice to the abdomen in the treatment of stomachaches[272]. A paste of this seedcake is used as a poultice to treat ringworm or eczema[272].
The fruit is used in Chinese medicine[129]. We have no more details.

Other Uses

Hedge Oil Paint Soil stabilization Wood.

The seed contains 21% of a fatty oil[240]. As well as being edible, it can also be used for lighting[2, 146, 158, 272].
The oilcake is used for washing clothes[272].
A deep purple colour btained from the fruits is used for painting windows and walls[272].
Plants are grown as a hedge in the Himalayas[1, 272].
Plants have an extensive root system and are used for binding the soil[272].
Wood - very hard, compact, very liable to split[158].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in any moderately fertile well-drained soil in full sun or light shade[200]. Requires a light not too fertile soil[11].
Plants are hardy to about -10° c[184].
The plants produce flowers and fruits better when they are growing in full sun[200]. Flowers are produced on the previous seasons wood[200] and can be produced in the autumn as well as the spring. The flowers are produced on the current years wood according to another report[182]. Autumn flowers can produce ripe fruit in the following spring. Unfortunately, the plants only produce fruit in Britain after long hot summers[200].

Propagation

Seed - best if given 2 months cold stratification[113]. Sow the seed in autumn if possible, otherwise in late winter or early spring in a cold frame in light shade. Germination may be inhibited by light[113]. Prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle into individual pots. Grow them on in a greenhouse or cold frame for their first winter and plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[113].

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

[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

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]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[129] ? Alpine Garden Society Bulletin. Volume 56. Alpine Garden Society
Excerpts from the periodical. Some details on Corydalis spp.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[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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