Common Name: Littleleaf Mock Orange

General Information

Philadelphus microphyllus is a stiffly to loosely-branched, multistemmed deciduous shrub that can grow from 50 - 200cm tall[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials. It is grown as an ornamental, valued especially for its autumn leaf colour and its showy, aromatic flowers[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Western and central N. America -California to Wyoming, south to Baja California, northern Mexico and Texas

Habitat

Arid montane scrub, juniper, hardwood or pine-oak woodlands, yellow pine-fir forests, limestone and rhyolitic substrates, rocky canyons, open slopes, bluffs, canyons; at elevations from 1,600 - 3,000 metres[]

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	1.20 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Philadelphus microphyllus is a moderately cold-hardy plant, able to tolerate temperatures down to around -20°c when fully dormant. A native of hot and sunny climates, plants do not grow or flower so freely when grown in more maritime climates with their cooler summers[, ]
Easily grown in any moderately fertile preferably dry soil[], succeeding in thin soils over chalk and tolerating poor soils[]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Succeeds in semi-shade but prefers a position in full sun where it will flower more freely[, ]. A drought-tolerant species, it is often found growing in cracks or fissures in rocky surfaces and in other dry, sandy, gravelly, or rocky areas[].
Hardy to about -20°c[]. Plants grow best in the east and south-east of Britain, they are shy to flower in gardens with cool summers[]. Plants are very tolerant of pruning, one third of the stems can be cut down to the ground each year in order to promote fresh growth and heavier flowering[].
A very ornamental plant[] with aromatic flowers smelling of pineapples[].

Edible Uses

Fruit[, ]. Formerly used as food[]. No more details are given.
The small seeds were eaten by Native Americans[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The leaves are rich in saponins, when crushed and mixed with water they produce a lather that is an effective cleaner, used on the body, clothes etc[]. You can wash your hands by merely picking a couple of leaves or a bunch of blossom, wetting your hands and then rubbing the plant material vigorously as if it was a bar of soap[]. This soap is a very gentle cleaner that does not remove the body's natural oils, but does remove dirt. It is not very effective against oil[].

Propagation

Seed - best if given 1 months cold stratification[]. Sow late winter in a light position 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 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, 7 - 10cm long side-shoots, mid summer in a shaded frame. Plant out in spring. High percentage[].
Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, 15 - 25cm with a heel, December in a sheltered bed outdoors. Fair to good percentage[].
Layering in summer. Very easy.
Division of new growth from the base with some roots already attached is a very simple method of increase[]..