Common Name: Mock Orange

General Information

Philadelphus lewisii is an erect to spreading, deciduous shrub that can grow up to 3.6 metres tall and 2.7 metres wide[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of materials. It is a useful plant for stabilizing streambanks and is sometimes grown as an ornamental, where it can be grown in native hedges.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

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Range

Western N. America - British Columbia, Alberta, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, California

Habitat

Gullies, water courses, rocky cliffs, talus slopes and rocky hillsides of sagebrush deserts[]. Cliffs, rock outcrops, slopes in pine woodlands and forests, stream banks, talus, seasonally dry ravines; at elevations up to 2,500 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	3.00 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Philadelphus lewisii is a moderately cold-hardy plant, being able to tolerate temperatures down to around -20°c or lower when fully dormant[, ]. It is found wild in areas where the mean annual precipitation is within the range 360 - 1,750mm[].
Succeeds in semi-shade but prefers a position in full sun where it will flower more freely[, ]. An easily grown plant, it succeeds in any moderately fertile soil, and also in thin soils over chalk[]. It grows best in moist, well drained soils that are coarse to medium (rich, loamy) textured[]. Tolerates poor soils and moderately dry soils[, ]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Found in the wilds in soils with a pH in the range 5.4 - 8[].
Some named forms have been developed for their ornamental value[]. 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[, ].
This plant is the State flower of Idaho[].
Classified as fire resistant, the plant will resprout from the base after a fire and also regenerates from the seed bank that builds up in the soil[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The dried powdered leaves, or the powdered wood, has been mixed with pitch or oil and used as a rub on sores and swollen joints[]. A poultice of the bruised leaves has been used to treat infected breasts[]

A strained decoction of the branches, sometimes with the flowers, has been used as a soaking solution in the treatment of sore chests, eczema and bleeding haemorrhoids[].

Agroforestry Uses:

A useful plant for streambank stabilization, including soil bioengineering practices such as live staking and live fascines, restoration of riparian areas and moist ravines, and erosion control on hillsides and drier rocky slopes[].
The flowers are a source of nectar for hummingbirds as well as food for certain butterflies, bees, and other pollinators[].
The plant is grown in barrier hedges of native plants in N. America[].

Other Uses

The leaves and flowers 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[]. An infusion of the bark can also be used[, ].

The stems can be used in making fine coiled baskets[].

The wood is strong, very hard. It was used traditionally for making arrow shafts, combs, bows, cradles, and other products and is still sometimes used for making tool handles[, ].

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 root suckers[].