OEMLERIA CERASIFORMIS

Description

Amongst the first plants of the year to flower this rarely encountered shrub has fragrant flowers, which are whitish-green, bell-shaped, and appear in late winter before the leaves, very much like the sloe in the UK. The fruit occurs in ovoid drupes borne on bright red stems, and is orange or yellow when young, but a delicately powdered blue-black when mature. In the wild they are native to the Pacific coast and ranges of North America, from British Columbia, Canada to Santa Barbara County, California, U.S.A. It is dioecious, having male and female flowers which occur on different plants

Sowing Advice

These seeds have already been thoroughly cleaned and cold-stored for several months. They should be sown into well-drained, sandy compost at any time of the year, and covered to their own depth with sand or grit. No artificial heat is needed; the seed tray is best left in a cool spot outside and kept moist. Seeds usually germinate in the spring after a chilling in the cold compost, regardless of when they are sown.

Key Facts