Plants Pacific Northwest

Garrya Elliptica

The views expressed here are not necessarily the views of ernestartist.org

Botanical Glossary - Home

Plate 319

Plate 320 Plate 321

Ernestartist.org assumes no liability for experimental use of medicinal plants, food plants or herbal remedies.

Garrya Elliptica: Silk tassel bush

These blossom and bark photos were made in Mid-February 2003.

An evergreen shrub growing to 4m by 4m at a medium rate. It is hardy to zone 8. It is in leaf all year, in flower from November to February. The 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.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure. It can tolerate atmospheric pollution.

The leaves are intensely bitter and are used as an antiperiodic and febrifuge. They can be used as a quinine substitute. An infusion has been used to induce menstruation, probably acting as an abortifacient.

Other Uses
Dye; Hedge; Repellent; Wood.
Grey to black dyes are obtained from the berries. The colour varies according to the ripeness of the fruit, green fruits are the best.

The bark and leaves are very bitter, a possible insect repellent?.

Wood - hard, close-grained. It has been used for fine cabinet work, though its small size and rarity limits its commercial usefulness.