Japanese name: シンフォリカルポス Scientific name:Symphoricarpos
[Overview]
A deciduous shrub.
The branches are four-ridged and drooping.
Leaves are simple and opposite, ovate-round, about 1–5 cm long, with entire or shallowly lobed margins.
Racemes or spikes at the branch tips or leaf axils bear 5–15 white or pink flowers.
The corolla is bell-shaped or tubular with 4–5 lobes.
The fruit is a spherical drupe 1–2 cm across, ripening to white, red or pink.
[History]
Three species were introduced to Japan at the end of the Meiji era as ornamentals.
[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings.
The seed coat is very hard and the germination rate is low.
It prefers sunny, well-drained, moderately moist soil.
It is hardy and tolerates both cold and heat, but dislikes dryness and excess moisture.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, also water as appropriate so that they do not dry out.
Apply slow-release fertilizer around the plant in spring before the buds open, and again after flowering and after the fruit has set as thank-you fertilizer.
There are no particular pests or diseases.
