Disporum trachycarpum - Fairybells

Family:	Colchicaceae
Habit:	Perennial
Height:	0.5
Synonyms:
Range:	Western N. America - British Columbia to N.E. Oregon and south along the Rockies.

Disporum trachycarpum (Fairybells) is a Perennial which grows to a height of 0.5m . It has a hardness rating of 5.
The flowers from this plant are hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and they are pollinated by

Soil Information

Fairybells will grow in light (sandy),medium (loamy),hard (clay) soil. It is not necessary for the soil to be well drained.
The soil prefers the following PH / acid levels :
- pH of less than 6, Acidic soils
- pH between 6 and 8, Neutral soils
- pH greater than 8, Basic soils
Fairybells prefers moist soils

Ideal Planting Locations

Fairybells can grow in full or semi shaded areas.

Wooded slopes, often by streams, or in aspen groves, to 3000m[60].

Planting places suited to this plant described below.

• Grows within a woodland garden
• Works within dappled Shade
• Grows in a shady edge
• Is suited to a deeply shaded location

Cultivation Details

Best grown in partial shade in a moist peaty or woodland soil[1, 175]. A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -20°c[187]. Plants spread well by means of creeping rhizomes when they are grown in a leafy soil[187]. This species is closely related to D. smithii[233].

Edible Uses*

* See disclaimer
Edible Rating: 2/5
Fruit - raw[105, 161, 177, 257]. A sweet flavour[212]. The fruit is up to 10mm in diameter and is leathery rather than pulpy[235].

• Fruit -

Medicinal Uses*

* See disclaimer
Medicinal Rating: 1/5
The seed has been used to clear foreign objects from the eye. A fresh seed was inserted and the eye closed then rubbed until the seed was watered out with the foreign object clinging to it[257]. The seeds were also placed in the eye overnight and an infusion of the bark used as an eyewash to treat snow-blindness[257]. An infusion of the leaves has been used as a wash for wounds whilst a poultice of the dampened bruised leaves has been applied to bleeding wounds[257].

• Ophthalmic - Treats eye complaints.
• Poultice - A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe[175]. Use a lime-free compost and keep it moist[175]. Stored seed requires 6 weeks cold stratification and should be sown as early in the year as possible[175]. Germination usually takes place within 3 - 6 months or more at 15°c[175]. 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. Division in spring[200].

Known Hazards

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivars

no recorded cultivars

References

RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
F. Chittendon.
Author: F. Chittendon.
Rating:
Publisher : Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
Date of Publication : 1951

Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest.
Hitchcock. C. L.
Author: Hitchcock. C. L.
Rating:
Publisher : A standard flora for Western N. America with lots of information on habitat etc. Five large volumes, it is not for the casual reader.
Date of Publication : 1955

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