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Drimys winteri
Winteraceae FAMILY

Drimys winteri

Drimys winteri

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

The sap of this plant can cause serious inflammation if it comes into contact with the eyes[1].

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub
GrowthMedium

Drimys winteri is a plant of the temperate and subtropical zones, it is also found at higher elevations up to 3,000 metres in the tropics. When dormant, it tolerates temperatures down to about -10°c[2]. Requires a light lime-free soil in semi-shade[3]. Tolerates chalk in the soil[4]. Requires a deep moist soil[4]. Dislikes dry conditions[1]. Prefers a warm sandy loam with some shelter[5]. Fairly wind resistant[6, 7]. Another report says that the plant resents severe wind-chill[3]. Succeeds against a wall at Kew[PFAF] and it thrives in an open position in southwest England[4, 6, 8]. This species is less hardy than Drimys lanceolata but it usually recovers from damage caused by cold[9]. Another report says that it is hardier than Drimys lanceolata[10]. A very ornamental plant[4]. The sub-species Drimys winteri andina. Reiche. is a slow growing dwarf form seldom exceeding 1 metre in height[11]. It usually commences flowering when about 30cm tall[12]. A polymorphic species[1]. The flowers have a delicate fragrance of jasmine, whilst the bark has a powerful aromatic smell[13]. This plant was a symbol of peace to the indigenous Indian tribes of S. America in much the same way as an olive branch was used in Greece[1]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[10].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a greenhouse[10]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow on the plants for at least their first winter in a cold frame. Plant them out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Layering in early to mid spring. Takes 12 months[14]. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 10 - 15 cm with a heel, mid summer in a frame. Approximately 60% take[14]. Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth with a heel of older wood, late autumn in a cold frame[14]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Drimys+winteri>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Flora of Chile. (in Spanish) — ? ↩︎Some information about the useful plants of Chile.
  2. [2]Shrubs. — Phillips. R. & Rix. M. · Pan Books · 1989 · ISBN 0-330-30258-2 ↩︎Excellent photographs and a terse description of 1,900 species and cultivars.
  3. [3]Climbers and Wall Shrubs. — Davis. B. · Viking. · 1990 · ISBN 0-670-82929-3 ↩︎Contains information on 2,000 species and cultivars, giving details of cultivation requirements. The text is terse but informative.
  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]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  6. [6]Shrubs for the Milder Counties. — Arnold-Forster. ↩︎Trees and shrubs that grow well in Cornwall and other mild areas of Britain. Fairly good, a standard reference book.
  7. [7]The Milder Garden. — Taylor. J. · Dent · 1990 ↩︎A good book on plants that you didn't know could be grown outdoors in Britain.
  8. [8]Trees and Shrubs in Cornwall. — Thurston. ↩︎Trees and shrubs that succeed in Cornwall based on the authors own observations. Good but rather dated.
  9. [9]The Plantsman. Vol. 2. 1980 - 1981. — ? · Royal Horticultural Society · 1980 · ISBN - ↩︎Excerpts from the periodical giving cultivation details and other notes on some of the useful plants including Billardiera spp, Calochortus spp, Drimys spp.
  10. [10]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.
  11. [11]Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. — Thomas. G. S. · Murray · 1992 · ISBN 0-7195-5043-2 ↩︎Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.
  12. [12]Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. — Bown. D. · Dorling Kindersley, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0-7513-020-31 ↩︎A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
  13. [13]Scented Flora of the World. — Genders. R. · Robert Hale. London. · 1994 · ISBN 0-7090-5440-8 ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
  14. [14]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
  15. [15]Flora of Tierra del Fuego. — Moore. D. M. · Anthony Nelson. · 1983 · ISBN 0-904614-05-0 ↩︎Standard work for this part of S. America. Excellent details of habitat and a few notes on plant uses.
  16. [16]Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. — Hedrick. U. P. · Dover Publications · 1972 · ISBN 0-486-20459-6 ↩︎Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
  17. [17]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  18. [18]Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications · 1990 · ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 ↩︎Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
  19. [19]Alternative Foods. — Sholto-Douglas. J. ↩︎Not very comprehensive, it seems more or less like a copy of earlier writings with little added.
  20. [20]A Modern Herbal. — Grieve. · Penguin · 1984 · ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 ↩︎Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
  21. [21]Mapuche Herbal Medicine Inhibits Blood Platelet Aggregation — Susan Skanderup Falkenberg et al · Hindawi Publishing Corporation · 2012 ↩︎A research paper, it includes information on the herbal uses of 12 plants
  22. [22]A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. — Usher. G. · Constable · 1974 · ISBN 0094579202 ↩︎Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
  23. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎