Botanical Name: Disporum cantoniense
Family: Colchicaceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Liliales
Genus: Disporum
Synonyms:
Common Names:Canton fairy bells or Fairy bells
Habitat:Disporum cantoniense is native to forests and thickets from Nepal to central and southern China south into Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. It grows in cool shady places at elevations of 1100 – 2900 metres in Nepal. Forests and thickets at elevations of 700 – 3000 metres.
Description:
Disporum cantoniense is a clump-forming, rhizomatous perennial plant that typically grows to 3-5′ tall on bamboo-like stems clad with lanceolate leaves (2-6” long). The plant spreads 1.50 to 2.00 feet. It is in flower from April to May. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs).The flowers are small, bell-shaped, white to greenish-yellow bloom singly or in few-flowered umbels at the stem ends in late spring to early summer. Flowers are followed by showy, purple-black berries that ripen in early autumn.
Cultivation:
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland). It prefers moist soil.Best grown in partial shade in a moist peaty or woodland soil. Plants spread rapidly[188] by means of creeping rhizomes when they are grown in a leafy soil.
Propagation:
Seed – best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe. Use a lime-free compost and keep it moist. Stored seed requires 6 weeks cold stratification and should be sown as early in the year as possible. Germination usually takes place within 3 – 6 months or more at 15°c. 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. Division in spring[
Edible Uses: Tender leaves and young shoots – cooked and eaten as a vegetable.
Medicinal Uses: The juice of the roots is used in the treatment of fevers.
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/Disporum
https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Disporum+cantoniense
https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=281754
