
Stauntonia angustifolia
Stauntonia angustifolia
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
Stauntonia angustifolia is native to the warm temperate and subtropical regions of southern China and the Himalayas. It is not very cold-tolerant, being able to withstand short periods with temperatures falling to around -10 to -15°c[1], though it can be damaged or killed by prolonged periods below -5°c[2]. Easily grown in any fertile soil in sun or part shade[3, 2]. Plants grow best on a shady wall or when grown into a tree[2]. They succeed in sun or deep shade, but fruits are much more likely to be produced when the plants are grown in a sunny position[2, 4]. Plants are hardy at Kew Gardens in England (hardiness zone 7 - 8) but they do not fruit freely there[5]. Hand pollination would probably help, and fruits are more likely to form naturally in hot summers[5, 6]. Species in this genus are usually monoecious, though there are instances of plants only bearing flowers of one sex (dioecious)[7]. The flowers are sweetly and heavily scented. The males are produced on the previous years wood whilst females are produced on the current years wood[3]. Plants are fast growing[2] and climb by means of twining[3].
Propagation
Seed - we have no details on this species but suggest sowing the seed as soon as it is ripe if this is possible, otherwise as soon as you obtain it, in a warm greenhouse. When they are 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 into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of softwood[8]. Cuttings of half-ripe wood in late summer or autumn[9]. Layering. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Stauntonia+angustifolia>
Pollinators
Flies, Insects
References
- [1]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.
- [2]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.
- [3]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.
- [4]Gardening on Walls — Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. · Collins · 1983 · ISBN 0-00-219220-0 ↩︎A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.
- [5]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.
- [6]The Milder Garden. — Taylor. J. · Dent · 1990 ↩︎A good book on plants that you didn't know could be grown outdoors in Britain.
- [7]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.
- [8]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 ]).
- [9]The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers — Brickell. C. · Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. · 1990 · ISBN 0-86318-386-7 ↩︎Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.
- [10]Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World. — Tanaka. T. & Nakao S. · Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo · 1976 · ISBN - ↩︎The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
- [11]Plants for Human Consumption. — Kunkel. G. · Koeltz Scientific Books · 1984 · ISBN 3874292169 ↩︎An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
- [12]An Overview of Lardizabalaceae — Christenhusz M.J.M. · 2012 ↩︎