Symplocos paniculata seed Sapphire Berry
LATIN NAME: Symplocos paniculata
COMMON NAME: Sapphire Berry
LATIN NAME: Symplocos paniculata
COMMON NAME: Sapphire Berry
In the early autumn, the sapphire berry puts on a show that most gardeners have never seen: a small tree covered in the tight clusters of the small, brilliant, china-blue berries that glow against the gold of the leaves. The sapphire berry grows as a large, open, deciduous shrub or a small tree, reaching up to five or six metres, with the toothed, dark-green leaves that turn a fine gold and orange in the autumn and, through the early summer, the small, creamy-white, fragrant flowers in the loose, flat clusters that are full of nectar. It is a tree of the warm hills of the eastern Asia, and it is known as the sapphire berry.
The sapphire berry belongs to the sweetleaf family, Symplocaceae, and it is a large, open, deciduous shrub or small tree of the warm hills of the eastern Asia. Its tight clusters of the small, brilliant, china-blue berries are its great show. It is known as the sapphire berry, and it is treasured for its blue fruit and its autumn colour.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The sapphire berry has been studied in the botany for its odd, brilliant-blue fruit and its place among the relatives of the sweetleaf family, and plant scientists have examined the small, creamy-white, fragrant flowers and the nectar they give the early summer insects. The tree has drawn attention in the international horticultural press as a fine small tree of the autumn, and its tight clusters of the china-blue berries have been of particular interest. The gold and orange autumn colour and the tree’s easy, adaptable growth have also been looked at in the garden. For a small tree with such a rare and lovely fruit, the sapphire berry has a growing record of study.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
For the autumn garden, the sapphire berry is a fine, rare show. Its tight clusters of the small, brilliant, china-blue berries glow against the gold and orange of the autumn leaves, and they feed the birds of the season. Through the early summer the small, creamy-white, fragrant flowers are full of nectar, pulling in the bees and the butterflies, and the tree is an easy, adaptable grower of the open garden. For a gardener who wants a small tree with a fruit like no other, the sapphire berry is a fine and generous choice.
The sapphire berry is a tree of the warm hills of the eastern Asia, and it has been carried to the gardens of the world for its rare and lovely fruit. The tight clusters of the small, brilliant, china-blue berries ripen in the early autumn and glow against the gold and orange of the leaves, and they are a fine food for the birds of the season. Through the early summer the small, creamy-white, fragrant flowers are full of nectar, pulling in the bees and the butterflies, and the tree is an easy, adaptable grower of the open garden. It is a fine, rare small tree of the autumn border.
These seeds are best sown fresh — clean the small seeds off the blue berries and sow them straight away at a shallow depth in pots of moist, free-draining soil, keep the pots in a bright, sheltered spot and water them regularly, and the first sturdy shoots will come up steadily.
Sapphire Berry Shrub, Symplocos paniculata, Seeds
Hardy, Adaptable, Easy to Grow, Showy Fragrant Flowers, Attracts Birds, Wildlife Food\/Shelter, Cold, Heat and Wind Tolerant
Grown for its 1\/3 inch exquisite fruit in shades of turquoise or lapis lazuli, unlike any other ornamental; a mature tree covered with bright berries in the sun is extraordinarily beautiful.
Native to China, Japan and Himalayas, Sapphire Berry is a deciduous large multi-stemmed shrub or small low-branching tree typically growing 10 to 20 feet tall with a spreading habit. The bark on mature specimens has gray ridges and dark fissures. Foliage is ovate to obovate, finely toothed, dark green leaves to 3″ long with no real fall color. Fragrant, cream-white flowers, 1\/2 inch wide, are borne on 2 to 3 inch panicles in spring, on last year’s wood. Fruit is a bright turquoise or sapphire blue, 1\/3 inch wide drupe, ripening in fall. Birds are very attracted to the fruit. Problem free, easy to grow, not fussy as long as the soil is well drained. Not bothered by pests. An exellent plant for the back of the border, as a screen or small tree.
Other Names: Sapphireberry, Asiatic sweetleaf
Native Range: Himilayas, eastern Asia, China and Japan
Culture: Plant in groups of three or more to insure acceptable level of cross-pollination and resultant fruit production. Flowers on previous year’s growth, but light, late winter pruning is still recommended even though some of the flower buds will be removed.
Uses: Best in groups in the shrub border or bird garden. Also effective as an unpruned screen.
