Holboellia Coriacea

Description

This vigorous, astonishingly hardy, evergreen climber has extremely fragrant flowers which can vary from white through pale green to pale purple, and appear in clusters in spring and early summer. Much later, right into early winter, very large, pinkish-purple sausage-shaped fruits ripen. In late winter and spring these split open revealing the seeds held in a mass of edible white jelly. This beautiful, vigorous, evergreen climber has dark green leathery leaves which are composed of three oblong, pointed leaflets held on strong twining stems enabling it to climb. It is native to central China where it grows in scrubby thickets and mountain slopes and was introduced into the UK by Earnest Wilson in 1907 and is useful as a vigorous evergreen climber, suitable for climbing over structures or on trellis. The etymological root of the latin name Holboellia is named after the Danish ornithologist Carl Peter Holboell (1795-1856). Coriacea is from Latin meaning 'leather’, in reference to this climber’s leaves. .

Sowing Advice

Sow seeds at any time onto a good soil-based compost covering seeds with fine grit or compost to approximately their own depth. We recommend germinating at 15 to 20 degrees C. Germination may be very slow, perhaps 2-3 months, or sometimes much longer, and these seeds may sometimes wait for spring before emerging. Grow on individual seedlings in 3 inch pots before finally planting with climbing support in a well-drained spot or very large pot.

Key Facts