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Clethraceae FAMILY Least Concern

Clethra delavayi

Clethra delavayi

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Shrub
Growth—

Clethra delavayi is is not very cold-hardy, and can be damaged if temperatures fall below -10°c[1]. Prefers growing in an open woodland with its roots in the shade. It requires a humus-rich, lime-free, moist but well-drained soil[1]. The flowers are very fragrant[1].

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse[2]. Only just cover the seed and keep the pot moist. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 3 months at 13°c[3]. When 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 once they are more than 20cm tall in late spring or early summer after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 7 - 10cm with a heel, mid summer in a frame[4, 2]. Very easy[2]. Root cuttings in December/January[2]. Layering of current years growth in late autumn. Takes 18 months. Can also be done in early spring[1]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Clethra+delavayi>

Pollinators

Bees, Butterflies

References

  1. [1]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  2. [2]The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. — Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. · Athens Ga. Varsity Press · 1987 · ISBN 0942375009 ↩︎A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.
  3. [3]Growing from Seed. Volume 4. — Bird. R. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1990 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.
  4. [4]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  5. [5]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  6. [6]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
  7. [7]Common Chinese Materia Medica Volume 6 — Huagu Ye et al (Editors) · Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd., Singapore · 2022 · https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5892-1 · ISBN 978-981-16-5891- ↩︎