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Cudrania tricuspidata - (Carrière.)Bur. ex Lav.

Common Name

Silkworm Thorn

Family

Moraceae

Synonyms

C. triloba. Maclura tricuspidata.

Known Hazards

None known

Habitats

Rocky slopes and roadsides in W. China[109]. Sunny forest margins and mountain slopes at elevations of 500 - 2200 metres[266].

Range

E. Asia - China, Japan and Korea.

Edibility Rating

Medicinal Rating

Care

Summary

Physical Characteristics

A decidious Tree growing to 6 m (19ft) by 6 m (19ft) at a slow rate.
It is hardy to zone 7. It is in flower in July. The flowers are dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required)The plant is not self-fertile.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil.The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils..It cannot grow in the shade.It requires moist soil.

Habitats
Woodland Garden Secondary; Sunny Edge;

Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Fruit; Leaves. Fruit - fresh or preserved[1, 22, 61]. Somewhat like a mulberry[183]. The firm fruit is relatively tasteless, when soft-ripe it is sub-acid to sweet and some forms can be quite delicious[46, 105, 109, 151, 183]. It contains lots of large seeds[151]. The fruit is about 25mm in diameter[200]. Leaves - a famine food[179].

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.

Antiperiodic; Galactogogue; Ophthalmic; Women's complaints.

An infusion of the wood is used to treat sore or weak eyes[178, 218]. The inner bark and the wood are used in the treatment of malaria, debility and menorrhagia[178, 218]. The root is galactogogue and is also used in the treatment of amenorrhoea[218]. The plant is used to eliminate blood stasis and stimulate the circulation in cancer of the alimentary system, blood and lungs[218].

Other Uses
Dye; Fibre; Wood. A yellow dye is obtained from the wood[178]. The bark fibers are used for making paper[266]. Wood - finely grained. Used for utensils[178].

Cultivation details

Prefers a warm well-drained fertile loam[1, 188]. Requires a sunny position[188]. A very hardy plant[1]. The leaves are a food source for silk-worms[1, 11]. Probably only the male tree is in cultivation in Britain, though at least one selected female form is being grown in N. America[183]. Both male and female plants normally need to be grown if fruit or seed is required but male trees occasionally produce a few small fruits[183].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[188]. Sow stored seed in early spring in a cold frame. 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, July/August in a frame[188, K]. Cuttings of mature wood, November in a sandy soil in a frame[1].

Expert comment

Author
(Carrière.)Bur. ex Lav.

Botanical References
11200266

Links / References

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

[1]F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956

Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[11]Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement.

A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[22]Sholto-Douglas. J. Alternative Foods.

Not very comprehensive, it seems more or less like a copy of earlier writings with little added.

[46]Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants.

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.

[61]Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man.

Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[105]Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.

The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[109]Wilson. E. H. Plantae Wilsonae.

Details of the palnts collected by the plant collector E. H. Wilson on his travels in China. Gives some habitats. Not for the casual reader.

[151]Wilson. E. H. and Trollope. M. N. Corean Flora.

A very small handbook, it does give a little bit of information on Korean plants.

[178]Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica.

A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.

[179]Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao.

A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating.

[183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.

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.

[188]Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers

Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.

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

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.

[266] Flora of China

On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.

Readers comment

Elizabeth H.
Dave Hamilton	Wed Sep 30 2009

I found the fruit to be rather tasteless on it's own but very useful when adding colour to jellies, making it pinkish, like quince.

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Subject : Cudrania tricuspidata

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