Herb: Fever Bush


Latin name: Garrya fremontii


Family: Garryaceae



Medicinal use of Fever Bush:

The leaves are intensely bitter and are used as an antiperiodic and tonic. They can be used as a quinine substitute.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Shrub

Height:
3 m
(9 3/4 foot)

Flowering:
April
to May

Habitat of the herb:

In dry situations in chaparral, mixed evergreen, yellow pine and red fir forests at elevations from sea level to 2200 metres.

Propagation of Fever Bush:

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Very slow, the seed can take 2 or more years to germinate. 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 10cm with a heel, August in a frame. Cuttings of mature wood 10 - 12 cm with a heel, December/January in a frame.

Cultivation of the herb:

In dry situations in chaparral, mixed evergreen, yellow pine and red fir forests at elevations from sea level to 2200 metres.

Known hazards of Garrya fremontii:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.