Herb: Yellowhorn


Latin name: Xanthoceras sorbifolium


Family: Sapindaceae



Edible parts of Yellowhorn:

Flowers - cooked. They are usually boiled. Leaves - cooked. They are usually boiled. Seed - cooked. The seed is about the size of a pea, it is quite sweet, with a taste like a sweet chestnut. The seed is husked and then ground into a powder and boiled.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
6 m
(20 feet)

Flowering:
May to
June

Habitat of the herb:

Thickets in drier areas, usually on shaded slopes.

Propagation of Yellowhorn:

Seed - 3 months cool stratification improves germination rates so the seed is probably best sown in a cold frame in the autumn. Another report says that the seed can be sown in a warm greenhouse in February or March, probably after stratification. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots. Grow the on in a lightly shaded position in a greenhouse for their first winter then plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer. Consider giving them some protection from winter cold for their first winter or two outdoors. Root cuttings, 3cm long planted horizontally in pots in a frame in December or January. Good percentage. Division of suckers in the dormant season. They can be planted out straight into their permanent positions.

Cultivation of the herb:

Thickets in drier areas, usually on shaded slopes.

Medicinal use of Yellowhorn:

None known

Known hazards of Xanthoceras sorbifolium:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.