Herb: Isu Tree


Latin name: Distylium racemosum


Family: Hamamelidaceae (Witch-hazel Family)



Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Shrub

Height:
2 m
(6 1/2 foot)

Flowering:
March
to April

Habitat of Isu Tree:

Evergreen oak forests. Forests at elevations of 1000 - 1300 metres in Fujian, Hainan, Taiwan and Zhejiang Provinces of China.

Other uses of the herb:

The ashes of the wood are used in glazing porcelain. Wood - hard, fine-grained, dark brown. A very valuable wood, it is used for small articles, musical instruments etc.

Propagation of Isu Tree:

Seed - can be sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Stored seed may require 2 - 3 months cold stratification and is best sown as soon as possible in a cold frame. Germination takes 2 - 3 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. Cuttings of half ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth in a frame. Layering in September/October of current years growth if possible. If this is not available then use the previous years growth. Takes 18 months. Good percentage.

Cultivation of the herb:

Evergreen oak forests. Forests at elevations of 1000 - 1300 metres in Fujian, Hainan, Taiwan and Zhejiang Provinces of China.

Medicinal use of Isu Tree:

None known

Known hazards of Distylium racemosum:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.