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Skimmia laureola

Common name:		Family:	Rutaceae
Author:	(DC.)Siebold.& Zucc. ex Walp.	Botanical references:	11, 51, 200
Synonyms:	Skimmia melanocarpa (Rehder.& E.H.Wilson.), Limonia laureola (DC.)
Known Hazards:	A poisonous alkaloid called 'skimmianin' is found in all parts of the related S. japonica, it is probably also present in this species[211].
Range:	E. Asia - N.W. Himalayas to N. China.
Habitat:	An undershrub in rocky places in oak and fir forests, 2400 - 3600 metres from C. Nepal to N. China[51, 146, 184].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	aureola = golden laureola = small laurel crown
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Sapindales. Rue family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen shrub growing to 1.5m. It is hardy to zone 7 and is frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from April to June. The scented flowers are dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required). The plant not is self-fertile. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 1/5 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. It can tolerate atmospheric pollution.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Ground Cover.

Edible Uses

Condiment Leaves.

Leaves - cooked. Used as a condiment[272]. The strongly aromatic leaves are used in curries or as a flavouring for other foods[146, 177, 183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

The leaves are used in the treatment of smallpox[240]. The smoke produced by burning them is said to purify the air[240].

Other Uses

Essential Ground cover Incense Wood.

An essential oil in the leaves is used in scenting soap[61, 240, 272]. The dried leaves are used as an incense[61, 145, 211]. The fresh leaves are used to make garlands for weddings[211].
Plants can be grown as a ground cover when planted about 1 metre apart each way[208].
Wod - used to make handles of small farming implements such as hoes and axes[272].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in a well-drained open loam or in a peaty soil in a sunny position[1]. Probably flowers well in the shade[11]. Plants are very tolerant of atmospheric pollution, being unharmed by deposits of soot or a sulphur-laden atmosphere[245].
This species is not very frost-hardy and so is rather tender in much of Britain[1].
The flowers are sweetly scented[184]. The small yellow flowers are oppressively scented, giving a somewhat unpleasant smell near to, though agreeable at a distance[245]. The bruised leaves are strongly aromatic[245].
The plant is superficially similar to Daphne cannabina and is often mistaken for that species[211].
Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Propagation

Seed - can be sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[K]. It also succeeds when sown in early spring. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a shady position in the cold frame for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
If there is sufficient seed then it can be sown can be in an outdoor seedbed in early spring[200]. Grow the plants on in the seedbed for a couple of years before planting them out in late autumn or early spring.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a cold frame[11].
Cuttings of nearly mature side shoots, 7 - 10cm with a heel, September in a cold frame. Slow to root, they should be left for 18 months before moving to their permanent positions. Good percentage[78].
Layering in autumn. Takes 18 months. Good to high percentage[78].

Scent

Leaves: Crushed: The bruised foliage is strongly aromatic[245].
Flowers: Fresh: The small yellow flowers are oppressively scented, giving a somewhat unpleasant smell near to, though agreeable at a distance[245].

Suppliers

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

Web References

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

References for the family Rutaceae.

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

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[145] Singh. Dr. G. and Kachroo. Prof. Dr. P. Forest Flora of Srinagar. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh 1976
A good flora of the western Himalayas but poorly illustrated. Some information on 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.

[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.

[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.

[208] Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover J. M. Dent & Sons 1990 ISBN 0-460-12609-1
An excellent detailled book on the subject, very comprehensive.

[211] Coventry. B. O. Wild Flowers of Kashmir Raithby, Lawrence and Co. 1923
A nice little pocket guide to 50 wildflowers of Kashmir. This is part one of three, we have not seen the other two volumes

[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.

[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.

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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