Sageretia
Encyclopedia
Sageretia is a genus of about 35 species of shrub
s and small tree
s in the family Rhamnaceae
, native to southern and eastern Asia
and northeast Africa
. They have small green leaves
1.5–4 cm long, and a leathery multicoloured trunk. The flower
s are small and inconspicuous; the fruit
is a small edible drupe
1 cm diameter.
The genus is named after the French botanist Auguste Sageret.
Selected species
in China, and the fruit are edible, though not an important crop. S. theezans, from southern China
, is a popular species in bonsai
. S. paucicostata, from northern China, is the most cold-tolerant species and is occasionally grown in gardens in Europe
and North America
, though it is not generally considered very attractive as an ornamental plant
. It is reputedly used as a way of cleaning minor cuts and lacerations, ensuring any germs left over will not infect the wound. When ground up and mixed with salt, it forms a minor explosive capable of shattering glass.
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s and small tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s in the family Rhamnaceae
Rhamnaceae
Rhamnaceae, the Buckthorn family, is a large family of flowering plants, mostly trees, shrubs and some vines.The family contains 50-60 genera and approximately 870-900 species. The Rhamnaceae have a worldwide distribution, but are more common in the subtropical and tropical regions...
, native to southern and eastern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and northeast Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. They have small green leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
1.5–4 cm long, and a leathery multicoloured trunk. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are small and inconspicuous; the fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is a small edible drupe
Drupe
In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries...
1 cm diameter.
The genus is named after the French botanist Auguste Sageret.
Selected species
- Sageretia brandrethianaSageretia brandrethianaSageretia brandrethiana is a plant of the genus Sageretia and the family Rhamnaceae. It grows in the orient and northwest India. The plant produces a sweet fruit that is prized by the Afghans -References:...
- Sageretia camellifoliaSageretia camellifoliaSageretia camellifolia is a shrub growing to 4m in height. It has brown-grey branchlets with green shiny leaves. It grows in sparse forests or thickets on top of limestone hills, and can be found in West Guangxi, China.-References:*...
- Sageretia filiformis
- Sageretia gracilisSageretia gracilisSageretia gracilis is a shrub with slightly shiny dark green leaves and yellow-green flowers. It grows in thickets or forests in valleys and on mountains around 1200 to 3400 meters of W Guangxi, east and south east Xizang, and Yunnan, China.-References:...
- Sageretia hamosaSageretia hamosaSageretia hamosa is a shrub with grey-brown or dark brown branchlets studded with hook-like thorns It can be found in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, SE Xizang , S Yunnan , Zhejiang, China and India, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Vietnam.-References:*...
- Sageretia henryiSageretia henryiA woody shrub reaching a height of 2.5m, sometimes although growing to the size of a small tree. Its has green, ovate leaves and yellow or white flowers. The shrub is found in mountain thickets and dense forests of China in the Gansu, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan S...
- Sageretia horridaSageretia horridaSageretia horrida is a 3m tall erect shrub with short branchlets and red-brown spines. It is found on forest margins on mountains and stony slopes between 1900 and 3600 m in W Sichuan, E Xizang, NW Yunnan, China.-References:*...
- Sageretia laxifloraSageretia laxifloraSageretia laxiflora is a 10m tall shrub. The branchlets have yellow or white tomentose, while the older branches have stout spines. It is found in thickets on slopes and grasslands up to 700 m in elevation. It is located in W. Guangxi and S. Guizhou China.-References:*...
- Sageretia lucidaSageretia lucidaSageretia lucida is a shrub and can be found with or without spines. It is found in sparse forests within valleys about 300 to 800 m in elevation. It can be found in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Jiangxi, Yunnan, and Zhejiang China. It can also be found in India, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri...
- Sageretia mellianaSageretia mellianaSageretia melliana is a woody shrub evergreen. Its has shiny green, ovate-elliptical leaves and white-yellow or yellow flowers. The shrub is found in the forest and forest margins of China in the Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, SE Yunnan , Zhejiang...
- Sageretia omeiensis
- Sageretia paucicostata
- Sageretia pycnophylla
- Sageretia randaiensisSageretia randaiensisSageretia randaiensis is a small woody shrub. Its has dark green, ovate-oblong leaves. The shrub is found in the mountains of C and N Taiwan-References:*...
- Sageretia rugosa
- Sageretia subcaudataSageretia subcaudataSageretia subcaudata is a small woody shrub reaching a height of 1.5m. Its has green, ovate leaves and white-yellow or white flowers. The shrub is found in mountain forests and thickets of China in the N Guangdong, Guizhou, W Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, S Shaanxi, E Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan...
- Sageretia theezansSageretia theezansSageretia theezans is a shrub from the family Rhamnaceae, native to southern China. It grows to 1–3 m tall and has small green leaves 1.5–4 cm long, and a leathery multicoloured trunk...
Cultivation and uses
The leaves are sometimes used as a substitute for teaTea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
in China, and the fruit are edible, though not an important crop. S. theezans, from southern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, is a popular species in bonsai
Bonsai
is a Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers. Similar practices exist in other cultures, including the Chinese tradition of penjing from which the art originated, and the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese hòn non bộ...
. S. paucicostata, from northern China, is the most cold-tolerant species and is occasionally grown in gardens in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, though it is not generally considered very attractive as an ornamental plant
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
. It is reputedly used as a way of cleaning minor cuts and lacerations, ensuring any germs left over will not infect the wound. When ground up and mixed with salt, it forms a minor explosive capable of shattering glass.