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Other details: May be a noxious weed or invasive Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater
Soil pH requirements: 6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic) 6.6 to 7.5 (neutral) 7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline)
Patent Information: Non-patented
Propagation Methods: By dividing rhizomes, tubers, corms or bulbs (including offsets) From seed; direct sow after last frost
Seed Collecting: Remove fleshy coating on seeds before storing Allow unblemished fruit to ripen; clean and dry seeds Seed does not store well; sow as soon as possible
My nursery tells me this plant will not be invasive in our area (north of Montgomery and south of Birmingham). It has been growing at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens for some time without any evidence of it getting out of control. With that assurance I'm planting it today, and I'll see.
On Feb 10, 2005, onalee from Brooksville, FL (Zone 9a) wrote:
According to a study by the USDA:
"The seeds of two commercially marketable small shrubs, Ardisia crenata and Ardisia japonica do not germinate if they are stored for more than a few weeks in conditions where they are allowed to dehydrate. This makes it difficult to mass-produce these plants, which have attractive white or red berries that can stay on the plant for over a year. "
So, in order to grow these plants from seed, you need to have very fresh seed, perhaps the whole berry. These seeds bascially cannot be dried like other seeds. According to another web site, these need 25 degrees C (77F) for germination.
Other common names of this plant are:
coralberry, coral ardisia, spiceberry, Christmas berry
On Jan 30, 2005, MotherNature4 from Bartow, FL (Zone 9a) wrote:
I agree that this is a beautiful shrub with attractive foliage and red berries, but it won't do any good to grow this invasive plant in a pot. The problem is those pretty red berries that are eaten by the birds, then carried away and planted in natural areas.
On Apr 10, 2004, Toxicodendron from Piedmont, MO (Zone 6a) wrote:
This plant is good for pots, but don't put it out in the yard if you live in Florida...it is quite invasive there. Loves moisture and has displaced a lot of the native plants in bogs and swamps.
Regional...
This plant has been said to grow in the following regions:
, Black Diamond, Florida Lake City, Florida (2 reports) Pensacola, Florida Plant City, Florida South Daytona, Florida Spring Hill, Florida Brunswick, Georgia Thomasville, Georgia New Orleans, Louisiana East Sumter, South Carolina Eagle Mountain, Texas Sunset Valley, Texas
One vendor has this plant for sale.
