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Stauntonia hexaphylla - (Thunb.)Decne.

Author	(Thunb.)Decne.	Botanical references	11, 58, 200
Family	Lardizabalaceae	Genus	Stauntonia
Synonyms	Rajania hexaphylla - Thunb.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	E. Asia - Burma, Japan, Korea.
Habitat	Thickets and woodland in lowland from C. Japan southwards[58].
Edibility Rating	3 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	1 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen Climber growing to 10m by 7m at a medium rate.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid and very alkaline soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; West Wall By;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit.

Fruit - raw or cooked[2, 3, 58, 179]. Sweet and watery[11] with a honey-like flavour[46], it is highly esteemed as a dessert fruit in Japan[183]. The fruit is up to 5cm long[188].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Antirheumatic; Diuretic; Ophthalmic.

The roots, stem and fruits are antirheumatic and diuretic[218]. The juice of the fruit is used in the treatment of ophthalmia[2].

Other Uses

None known

Scented Plants

Flowers: Fresh

The flowers have a pleasant sweet perfume[245].

Cultivation details

Requires a well-drained moisture retentive soil in a sheltered position[200]. Succeeds in acid or alkaline soils, in full sun or in semi-shade[200]. It grows best if its roots are in a shady position and the top is allowed to grow into the sun[K]. A very ornamental plant, it is only hardy outdoors in the milder areas of Britain[3, 11, 59], tolerating temperatures down to about -10°c when the plant is fully dormant[184]. The young growth in spring, however, can be damaged by late frosts. It is cultivated for its edible fruit in Japan. The flowers have a pleasant sweet perfume[245]. A climbing plant that supports itself by twining around other plants and supports[219]. Plants are dioecious but females have borne fruit at times in the absence of a male pollinator[11, 200]. In Britain fruit is usually only formed in sunny summers[166, 219]. Hand pollination may improve fruit set[166]. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse. The seed can take 18 months to germinate. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots once they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer and consider giving them some protection from the cold for their first winter or two outdoors[K]. Cuttings.

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: Conservatory Plants.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[3] Simmons. A. E. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles 1972 ISBN 0-7153-5531-7
A very readable book with information on about 100 species that can be grown in Britain (some in greenhouses) and details on how to grow and use them.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[59] Thurston. Trees and Shrubs in Cornwall. 0
Trees and shrubs that succeed in Cornwall based on the authors own observations. Good but rather dated.

[166] Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent 1990
A good book on plants that you didn't know could be grown outdoors in Britain.

[179] Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977
A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[184] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Shrubs. Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30258-2
Excellent photographs and a terse description of 1900 species and cultivars.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[219] Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. Gardening on Walls Collins 1983 ISBN 0-00-219220-0
A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Stauntonia hexaphylla

Peter Barnes Tue, 12 May 1998

I was very interested to come across your PFAF page, whilst seeking info on Stauntonia.

One point, though, Stauntonia is *monoecious*, not dioecious as stated. I have just spent part of a morning going through various Japanese botanical works to resolve this: many UK references like Bean's Trees and Shrubs are at best ambiguous on this point! Hillier's Manual is correct.

Hillier's Manual is really: The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs, sixth edition (1991), published by David and Charles. No author, though Roy Lancaster and Allen Coombes were primary contributors. It is a standard work, excellent for concise, useful notes on 8,000-odd hardy trees and shrubs.

Peter Barnes

Author, Horticultural & Botanical Consultant Recently revised and updated: comments always welcome.

Stauntonia hexaphylla

Lily Tue Oct 31 2006

I have this growing in my garden and it has fruited for the first time, I was wondering what colour do I need to wait for the fruit to turn, it is soft pink at the moment.

Stauntonia hexaphylla

Ken Fern, Plants for a Future. Mon Nov 6 2006

According to the books, the fruit should be purple in colour and have a fairly strong perfume. It would be interesting to know how many fruits ripened, and how many plants you are growing - also, your views on its flavour.

Stauntonia hexaphylla

Lily Fri Dec 28 2007

This is the second it has fruited and i find the flavour poor and insipid. Germination from fresh seed was quick last year.

Stauntonia hexaphylla

Marc Geens Fri Nov 21 2008

We grow the plants for years, and although they do not carry a lot of fruits, we like the sweet taste. They colour late in the season and are purplish. When the seeds are kept humid and are put in the refrigerator immediately after harvest and sown in spring, they germinate very easily. Critical point is the first winter. We like this climber very much as it is one of the few wintergreen climbers. Nexy season we will have young plants available again.

Kruisbessen 'Proef'tuin

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