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Common Name:

General Information

Prinsepia utilis is a deciduous shrub that can grow up to 3.50 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

E. Asia - Himalayas from Pakistan to W. China.

Habitat

Forest, scrub and hedges, 1200 - 2700 metres[]. Usually found in sunny open places on dry hillsides near any spring or water-course[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	3.50 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Plants are hardy to about -10°c[].
Succeeds in any moderately fertile well-drained soil in full sun or light shade[]. Requires a light not too fertile soil[].
The plants produce flowers and fruits better when they are growing in full sun[]. Flowers are produced on the previous seasons wood[] and can be produced in the autumn as well as the spring. The flowers are produced on the current years wood according to another report[]. Autumn flowers can produce ripe fruit in the following spring. Unfortunately, the plants only produce fruit in Britain after long hot summers[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[, , , ]. Liked by children[]. Sloe-like[], it has rather an astringent flavour[]. The fruit is up to 17mm long and contains a single large seed[].

An edible oil is obtained from the seed[, , , ]. It is used in cooking[, ].

Medicinal

An oil from the seed is rubefacient[]. It is applied externally as a treatment for rheumatism and muscular pain caused by hard work[]. The oil is also applied to the forehead and temples in the treatment of coughs and colds[].

The heated oilcake is applied as a poultice to the abdomen in the treatment of stomach aches[]. A paste of this seedcake is used as a poultice to treat ringworm or eczema[].

The fruit is used in Chinese medicine[]. We have no more details.

Agroforestry Uses:

Plants are grown as a hedge in the Himalayas[, ].
The plant is traditionally grown in living fences in the northwestern Himalayas, where it helps to exclude livestock and other animals; mark out land boundaries; whilst also providing a range of medicinal and other uses[].
Plants have an extensive root system and are used for binding the soil[].

Other Uses

The seed contains 21% of a fatty oil[]. As well as being edible, it can also be used for lighting[, , , ].

The oilcake is used for washing clothes[].

A deep purple colour btained from the fruits is used for painting windows and walls[].

Wood - very hard, compact, very liable to split[].

Propagation

Seed - best if given 2 months cold stratification[]. Sow the seed in autumn if possible, otherwise in late winter or early spring in a cold frame in light shade. Germination may be inhibited by light[]. Prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle into individual pots. Grow them on in a greenhouse or cold frame for their first winter and plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, mid summer in a frame[].