Daphniphyllaceae

 

The family Daphniphyllaceae appeared early in the evolutionary history of the Angiosperms and today contains only one genus Daphniphyllum. This occurs in East and South East Asia, India, Sri Lanka and Australasia.

 

Daphniphyllum

 

Daphniphyllum contains 25 to 30 species of evergreen trees and shrubs of which 15 to 17 species are found in China, Korea, Taiwan and Japan – these include a few ‘hardy’ species of which D. macropodum is the best known. All the species are dioecious. The racemes of inconspicuous, generally purple, pungently scented flowers are produced in the early summer – hidden in the Rhododendron-like leaves. In order to obtain fruit production in the UK, it is necessary therefore to grow a group of plants which contains at least one male plant.

 

The fruit is a fleshy, indehiscent drupe which is black, blue-black or purple-black – depending on the species - and contains one stone. This stone has a hard, rugose-surfaced coat which protects the seed during the passage of the fruit through the gut of a bird.

 

The seeds in this genus are characterised by having a small (ie immature) embryo at dispersal. Thus the imbibed seed requires a period of warm stratification to mature the embryo before further activity towards germination can proceed.

 

There is some evidence to suggest that the flesh of the fruit contains substances which will delay germination if not removed. Thus the seed should be extracted by maceration and limited fermentation when the seeds can be rubbed free and then washed with a small amount of detergent. All the species will mature the embryo after the imbibed seed is warm stratified for 84 days at 25˚C. Germination will subsequently be rapid.

 

The nomenclature of this genus is confusing insofar as there has been much debate about the parameters of species and subspecies determination. The following species all have potential for cultivation in the UK:- D. angustifolium, D. calycinum, D. kengii, D. longeracemosum, D. macropodum (inc D. humile), D. majus, D. oldhamii, D. paxianum, D. sentandrum and D. teymansii – especially when collected from their hardier provenances.