natural herbs
Japanese Snowball
Viburnum plicatum

Herb: Japanese Snowball

Latin name: Viburnum plicatum

Synonyms: Viburnum tomentosum

Family: Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle Family)

Edible parts of Japanese Snowball:

Fruit - raw or cooked. Young leaves - cooked. Rather unpleasant.

Description of the plant:

Plant:

Deciduous
Shrub

Height:

4 m
(13 feet)

Flowering:

June
to July

Habitat of the herb:

Thickets in mountains to 1800 metres, C. and S. Japan.

Propagation of Japanese Snowball:

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe. Germination can be slow, sometimes taking more than 18 months. If the seed is harvested "green" (when it has fully developed but before it has fully ripened) and sown immediately in a cold frame, it should germinate in the spring. Stored seed will require 2 months warm then 3 months cold stratification and can still take 18 months to germinate. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame or greenhouse. Plant out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer of the following year. Cuttings of soft-wood, early summer in a frame. Pot up into individual pots once they start to root and plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8 cm long with a heel if possible, July/August in a frame. Plant them into individual pots as soon as they start to root. These cuttings can be difficult to overwinter, it is best to keep them in a greenhouse or cold frame until the following spring before planting them out. Cuttings of mature wood, winter in a frame. They should root in early spring - pot them up when large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer if sufficient new growth is made, otherwise keep them in a cold frame for the next winter and then plant them out in the spring. Layering of current seasons growth in July/August. Takes 15 months.

Cultivation of the herb: