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Rhamnus virgatus

Common name:		Family:	Rhamnaceae
Author:	Roxb.	Botanical references:	158, 272
Synonyms:	Rhamnus hirsutus
Known Hazards:	Although no specific mention of toxicity has been found for this species, there is the suggestion that some members of this genus could be mildly poisonous[65].
Range:	E. Asia - Himalayas.
Habitat:	Forest undergrowth to 2700 metres[146, 158]. Open places along the margins of forests at elevations of 1000 - 3000 metres in Nepal[272].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	R. virgata[E,G]
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	virgatus = twiggy, striped, wand like;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Rhamnales. Buckthorn family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	India

Physical Characteristics

A decidious shrub growing to 2m. . The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 1/5 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.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge.

Edible Uses

Leaves; Tea.

Leaves - cooked. A famine food, they are only used when all else fails[179].
A tea is made from the leaves[179].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Bitter; Emetic; Purgative.

The fruit is bitter, emetic and purgative[146, 158, 240, 272]. It is used in the treatment of affections of the spleen[240].

Other Uses

Fuel; Wood.

Wood - very hard, close grained. Used only for fuel[146, 158].

Cultivation details

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors at least in the milder areas of this country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Succeeds in any reasonably good soil[11].
Often bears the aecidospore stage of 'crown rust' of oats[1, 146].
The species in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[200].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in the autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed will require 1 - 2 months cold stratification and should be sown as early in the year as possible in a cold frame or outdoor seedbed. Germination is usually good, at least 80% by late spring. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle, and grow them on in the greenhouse or cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame.
Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, autumn in a frame.
Layering in early spring.

Suppliers

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

Web References

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Rhamnus virgata (a possible synonym).

[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.

References for the family Rhamnaceae.

To be included in 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

[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.

[65] Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984 ISBN 0723408394
Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far.

[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.

[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.

[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.

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?Rhamnus+virgatus
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Rhamnus+virgatus

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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.