Symplocaceae seed
LATIN NAME: Symplocos
COMMON NAME: Sweetleaf
The sweetleaf glazes the twigs with the small, white flowers, the smooth, glossy leaves around them, and the whole shrub carries the fine, fresh look of the shaded woodland. The hardy, evergreen shrub carries the smooth, glossy, oval leaves along the upright, branched twigs, and the small, white, five-petalled flowers in the short, axillary clusters through the early summer, one of the fresh, quiet sights of the shaded woodland, drawing the bees, to be followed by the small, dry, blue-black drupes. The blue-black drupes have a very long record as the fine, evergreen shrubs of the old gardens, and the plant is a historic presence of the shaded woodland. It is a plant of the shaded, deep, rich, moist, well-drained ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The sweetleaf is a historic subject of the plant science, and the white flowers keep showing up in the work on the evergreen shrubs. The way the small, white, five-petalled flowers form in the short, axillary clusters has been studied at length, and it keeps appearing in the studies of the evergreen shrubs, the glossy leaves and the members of the sweetleaf family. The blue-black drupes and the fresh habit have also made it a fine study shrub, and the sweetleaf is a regular subject of the work on the white flowers of the shaded world.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
The sweetleaf is a fresh, useful plant of the shaded woodland and the study collection. The smooth, glossy, oval leaves along the upright, branched twigs carry the fresh look of the shaded woodland, one of the fresh, quiet sights of the shaded woodland, drawing the bees, and the blue-black drupes have a very long record as the fine, evergreen shrubs of the old gardens, the close, glossy growth coming to the shaded borders, the low hedges and the steady plantings of the old gardens, while the small, white, five-petalled flowers in the short, axillary clusters open through the early summer, to be followed by the small, dry, blue-black drupes. It is one of the fine choices for the shaded woodland, the evergreen border and the study collection, and it has been written up in the horticultural and the botanical papers for the blue-black drupes and the very long history. It is a fresh, useful plant of the shaded, deep, rich, moist, well-drained garden.
The sweetleaf seeds prefer a sandy, gritty mix in a shaded, cool place with steady moisture. The young shrubs are slow but reliable, and they appreciate the deep, rich ground of the woodland border.
To grow the sweetleaf from seed, sow the small, angled seeds over the surface of the deep flat of sandy, gritty soil, water gently, then keep the flat in a shaded, cool spot. The seedlings appear within a few weeks, and they grow on steadily. With the shade and the deep, rich, moist ground, the white glazes will open over the years.
Uses: medicinal.Ornamental
