Botanical Name: Helwingia chinensis
Family: Helwingiaceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Aquifoliales
Genus: Helwingia
Synonym : Stemona japonica (Blume) Miquel in the Stemonaceae.
Habitat: Helwingia chinensis is native to E. Asia – W. China. It grows in the thickets, 1300 – 2300 metres in W. Szechwan. Mixed woods and thickets on slopes, broad-leaved forests, at elevations of 1000 – 2600 metres.
Description:
Helwingia chinensis is an evergreen or deciduous Shrub , 1–2 m tall, rarely small trees to 8 m tall. Leaves petiolate; petiole rounded; leaf blade linear-lanceolate to broadly ovate, papery, subleathery, or leathery, glabrous or pubescent; veins 5–9, inconspicuous or conspicuous. Flowers ca. 3–5 mm in diam. Petals green or reddish purple, triangular ovate, valvate. Fruit green when young, turning red and eventually black when mature, subglobose, ovoid, or oblong, green when young.
It is in leaf all year, in flower from April to May, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The species is 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 is not self-fertile.
Cultivation:
Succeeds in ordinary garden soil. Requires a sheltered position beneath a good tree canopy cover. Plants are not very hardy outdoors in Britain, only thriving in milder areas of the country where winter temperatures do not fall below about -7°c. The flowers are produced on the midribs of the leaves. Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
Edible Uses: The flowers and leaves might be edible.
Medicinal Uses: A decoction of the leaves and the bark are ingested for treating skin inflammations.
Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.
Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helwingia
https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Helwingia+chinensis
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=114973
