medicinal herbs
Photinia serratifolia

Herb latin name: Photinia serratifolia

Synonyms: Crataegus serratifolia, Photinia serrulata

Family: Rosaceae (Rose Family)

Medicinal use of Photinia serratifolia:

The leaves are diuretic, febrifuge, stimulant and tonic. A tincture of the wood is ingested as a tonic and anodyne. The plant is said to have excessive aphrodisiac properties.

Description of the plant:

Plant:

Evergreen
Shrub

Height:

8 m
(26 feet)

Flowering:

April

Scent:

Scented
Shrub

Habitat of the herb:

Mixed forests, roadsides, slopes, fields, low mountain regions and sea shores from sea level to 2500 metres.

Other uses of Photinia serratifolia:

The wood is hard and heavy, suitable for making furniture and other small articles.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in the autumn. Stored seed will probably require stratification and should be sown as early in the year as possible. Germination is usually good. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Basal cuttings in a frame. Harvest the shoots with plenty of underground stem when they are about 8 - 10cm above the ground. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 7 - 10cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. They take about 2 months to root and should be overwintered in a greenhouse, planting out in late spring. Fair to good percentage. Cuttings of almost ripe side shoots, 7 - 12cm with a heel, October/November in a cold frame. Lift the following autumn and plant in their permanent positions. Layering in autumn. Partially sever the layer about 12 months later and lift in the following spring. High percentage.

Cultivation of Photinia serratifolia: