Coriaria nepalensis Wall.

Species

Angiosperms > Cucurbitales > Coriariaceae > Coriaria

Characteristics

Shrubs decumbent, 1.5-2.5 m tall, with horizontally spreading branches; branchlets tetragonous or narrowly 4-winged; young branches purplish red, puberulent or glabrescent; old branches purplish brown, with clearly prominent lenticels; bud scales purplish red, ovate or ovate-triangular, 1-2 mm, membranous, glabrous. Leaves opposite; petiole purple, 2-3 mm, puberulent, inflated into pad at base; leaf blade elliptic or broadly elliptic, 2.5-8 × 1.5-4 cm, papery to thinly leathery, both surfaces glabrous or puberulent on midrib and lateral veins, 3-veined to apex, veins raised abaxially, slightly impressed adaxially, base rounded, margin entire, apex acute. Inflorescences axillary. Male inflorescence 1.5-2.5 cm, densely multiflorous, flowers opening before leaves, rachis glandular puberulent; bracts and bracteoles ovate-orbicular, ca. 2.5 × 2 mm, membranous, translucent, concave, margins fringed denticulate upward; pedicel ca. 1 mm, glabrous; sepals ovate, 1.5-2 × 1-1.5 mm, margins translucent, fringed denticulate; petals ovate, very small, ca. 0.3 mm; filaments linear, ca. 1 mm, elongating in anthesis, 3-3.5 mm, anthers oblong, ca. 2 mm; sterile pistils small. Female inflorescence with flowers opening at same time that leaves appear, 4-6 cm, rachis glandular puberulent; bracts purplish, ca. 4 mm; pedicel 1.5-2.5 mm; sepals same as in male flower; petals small, fleshy; stamens short, filaments ca. 0.5 mm; carpels 5, compressed, auriculate, ca. 0.7 × 0.5 mm, styles ca. 1 mm, stigma purplish red. Fruit red to dark purple or purplish black when mature, subglobose, 4-6 mm in diam. Seeds ovoid-oblong. Fl. Feb-May, fr. May-Aug. 2n = 40.
More
A tree. It grows to 5 m tall. The leaves are almost without stalks. They are opposite. The leaves are 2-10 cm long by 1.5-4 cm wide. They are oval or sword shaped. They have 3 veins. The flowers do not have stalks. They are red. The fruit is black when ripe.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 4.5
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) 0.4
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

A subtropical plant. In Nepal plants grow from 1000-2800 m altitude. They grow in open or shady places. It suits hardiness zones 8-10. In Sichuan and Yunnan.
Light 6-9
Soil humidity 2-5
Soil texture 1-6
Soil acidity 3-7
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 8-9

Usage

The ripe fruit are eaten fresh. They are usually only eaten in small amounts. Eating large amounts can cause dizziness. CAUTION: All plant parts are poisonous except the envelope around the flower. The seeds are eaten raw or cooked.
Uses material medicinal poison
Edible fruits roots seeds
Therapeutic use Cathartics (leaf), Ancylostomiasis (unspecified), Boil (unspecified), Poison (unspecified), Swelling (unspecified), Vermifuge (unspecified), Vulnerary (unspecified), Burn (unspecified), Anodyne (unspecified), Fever (unspecified), Refrigerant (unspecified), Sore (unspecified), Contraceptive agents (whole plant excluding root)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants are grown from seed or cuttings.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -5
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Coriaria nepalensis unspecified picture

Distribution

Coriaria nepalensis world distribution map, present in Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:271362-1
WFO ID wfo-0000924529
COL ID 6B3G6
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Coriaria nepalensis Coriaria sinica Morus calva