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Common Name:

General Information

Weigela hortensis is a deciduous shrub that can grow up to 5.00 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

E. Asia - C. and N. Japan.

Habitat

Common on sunny hills and mountains at elevations of 20 - 1800 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	5.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

An easily grown plant, succeeding in most fertile soils[, ]. Prefers a moist well-drained soil in sun or partial shade[]. Tolerates atmospheric pollution[].
Plants are very floriferous and can exhaust themselves, literally flowering themselves to death. The flowers are borne in the leaf nodes of the previous years growth and any pruning is therefore best done as soon as the plant has finished flowering[]. The flowers have a soft sweet perfume[].
Closely related to W. japonica[].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[].

Edible Uses

Young leaves - cooked[, ]. A famine food, they are only used when all else fails.
A tea is made from the leaves[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe if this is possible, otherwise in late winter or early spring. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer.
Softwood basal cuttings, 10 - 12cm long, in a sandy soil in a cold frame in early summer[].
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 8 - 10 cm with a heel, mid summer in a frame[].
Cuttings of mature wood of the current seasons growth. 20 cm long, late autumn in a sheltered outdoor nursery bed[].